Unintentionally Awry
by VeggieBlueRaven
Summary: What happens when experiments, intentions, and time itself all go wrong? Love surprisingly. But when Bulma falls in love with a man who lived 6000 years ago, things get complicated. Especially when that man is a stubborn Saiyan named Vegeta. AU COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

_This is an AU story I wrote a while back. It started out as a one shot but quickly grew into something larger. I've been putting off posting it cause I have a couple of other fics going, but, ah, so what? This is already written, I just have to type it up. ;p hope you like!_

_DBZ is not mine, for now._

_For all of you who love Bulma and Vegeta as much as I do, this story is for you. :) Enjoy!_

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Chapter 1

Bulma gripped her clipboard tighter as she held her breath. 'This was really it!' she thought excitedly. Her adrenaline pounding, she watched the clock continue to count down.

10...

Was it actually going to work?

9...

What if something went wrong?

8...

Had she checked the blueprints enough times?

7...

What if the barrier didn't hold?

6...

What if they missed their target?

5...

What if they had locked onto the wrong target?

4...

Oh God, what if something really did go wrong?

3...

No! It wasn't going to work. She couldn't breath…

2...

It was going to fail; she was going to fail. Air, she needed air…

1...

A bright light flashed, temporarily blinding her. She held the clipboard in front off her eyes until the light subsided. Cautiously, she squinted over her board and peered ahead anxiously. And then, she saw 'it.' Her heart stopped and a jolt of electricity seemed to shoot through her. It had really worked! Her mind couldn't take it all in. Her time chamber was a success!

She was a success!

A product of cutting edge science and dogged persistence, the time chamber was Bulma Briefs brainchild. The concept had been conceived by a group of four top scientists, but Bulma was the one who had given their theories life. Their names were Ramassen, Malone, Kato, and Yamcha. They had formulated a way of moving objects through time and space. Specifically, moving them from the past to the present. None of these scientists, however, had been able to take the idea to the next step, execution. So, they brought in Bulma.

She had come in, listened to their theories, examined their formulas, and immediately set about drawing up the plans for the time chamber. She had poured everything she had into the design, and it paid off. In a little over a year, Bulma had designed and built the first ever time chamber. From the inside, the chamber gave the impression of being, more or less, an ordinary room. In reality though, this simple looking room was a time void. The chamber allowed Bulma and her team to target an object in the past and then move it forward to their present time.

The construction of the first time chamber had been completed roughly eight months ago. At that time, Ramassen, Malone, Yamcha, and Kato had experimented with bringing back various objects for study. Bulma remained on the team as well, though she was more interested in the machine itself than the items it brought through time. In the beginning, they only attempted to bring back simple things, rocks and plants mostly.

Things had gone well at first, until the accident. In the course of their experiments they had determined that it was safe to enter the chamber after an object had been successfully transported. Bulma, though, had warned them that, since the objects and the chamber were part of an artificially created time void, they were unstable and had not bonded to the present time. She had insisted that none of the experiments leave the chamber because, frankly, she had no idea what would happen if they did. Removing an object would create a breach in the time void, something that could lead to any number of disasters. Kato had asserted that upon leaving the chamber, the experiments would automatically fuse to the current time. To prove his point, he had attempted to remove a small rock they had transported from the Jurassic period.

They never did find Kato's body.

The explosion had destroyed not only the chamber, but the entire building as well. Fortunately, no one other than Kato had been killed. Bulma had wanted to give up on the whole project then and there, but the others insisted that they should continue. Thus, six months later Bulma completed the second time chamber. This one she made much larger and even added a few safety features in case of another accident. She managed to redirect the overflow circuits so that, if the same thing were to happen again, the explosion would be better contained. Hopefully, only the chamber itself would be destroyed, though the power supply for the entire city would be completely drained. But, that should recover quickly enough.

So, once again she and her team began their experiments. After a short while they upgraded from rocks and plants, to bugs and small animals. This time things progressed smoothly until they finally were ready to try it. They were going to attempt to bring a human through time. They had spent long hours discussing whom they should or shouldn't bring back. Ideally, they had to choose someone whose absence would not alter history. This naturally ruled out a fairly large number of people, and certainly anyone remotely famous was out. Also, since this would be their first time transporting a person, there was still a fair chance things would go wrong. Thus, it had to be someone whom nobody would care about if they were accidentally killed.

Eventually, they all agreed to bring back a Saiyan.

Now, heart still pounding, Bulma stood gaping through the glass in front of her at a body-shaped mass covered in mud and gravel. Before her was the first Saiyan to live in over 6000 years.

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_The chappies may be a little short, but updating should be more regular this way.:3_

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	2. Chapter 2

Hihi!

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Chapter 2

The Saiyan's body, caked with dirt and blood, was lying in a pile of gravel.

"Uhg! Did you guys have to bring back all the dirt along with it?" Bulma frowned in distaste.

"Sorry Bulma, but you wouldn't want us to leave part of it behind would you? It'd be a lot worse if it were missing an arm or a leg, instead of just bringing along a little dirt." Yamcha's voice laughed through the intercom.

"Looks like we have an adult male." Bulma informed Yamcha as she looked at the Saiyan through the glass. Before a person could enter the chamber, they had to pass through an energy lock. This small room allowed you to enter the chamber without having to create a breach in the chambers energy barrier, thereby keeping the time void stable. As she waited for the doors to open, Bulma was shocked to see that the man also had a long, furry, brown tail. Currently, she noticed, the unusual appendage was matted with blood and grime.

The Saiyans were an isolated people who had existed some 6000 years ago. They had been a nomadic race that traveled in a single large tribe. They had primarily wandered the southern wastelands, surviving as hunters and foragers. Several archeological finds had been made that had proved their existence beyond any doubt.

The finds were mostly typical daily items, broken pots and cookware. Although, a lot of weapons had been found as well. Most of the evidence of their existence, however, came from other cultures. According to historical records of the time, such as could be obtained anyway, the Saiyans were highly feared. They were war-like and aggressive in nature. Apparently, they terrorized their neighbors quite frequently. This little bit of information, though, was pretty much all that was known about them. Nothing more about their culture or origins had ever been discovered, making them one of the most elusive races in history.

In short, they had appeared out of nowhere, kept to themselves throughout their history, and scared the pants out of everyone who came into contact with them. That was about it.

Oh, and they had all inexplicably vanished off the face of the planet one day.

It was amazing; the entire race seemed to have disappeared overnight. There was no indications of them slowly dying out, no record of any army coming in and slaying them all, or some catastrophic natural disaster overtaking them. An old scroll, belonging to another race living in the same time period, had been found that claimed that all of the Saiyans were taken away by a great beast as punishment. Punishment for what wasn't clear however.

Scientists had come up with many different theories as to what had happened to this mysterious group, but nothing had turned up that supported any of these ideas. In fact, nothing had turned up period. It was baffling, Bulma thought. How did a whole culture just disappear?

The Saiyan in the chamber in front of her had been transported from a mountainous region where the Saiyans seemed to have spent most of their time. The time frame he came from was supposed to be near to the date the Saiyans abruptly vanished. The instruments were not refined enough though to pinpoint an exact date.

Bulma and a team of assistants entered the chamber and began inspecting the specimen carefully as they laid him out of a table. He was out cold but Bulma was still weary. There was no telling what he would do when he woke up. She looked him over curiously. He had thick black hair that swept upward like a flame and an extremely muscular build. His clothing was made up of some sort of skin garment covered in fur.

Quickly, Bulma grabbed a washcloth and began cleaning him up. Surprisingly, most of the blood covering his body wasn't his, as he had no wounds present. Very gently, Bulma set to work on cleaning the bloody grime out of his tail. The fur dried rapidly as she cleaned it, feeling soft and fluffy against her skin. The sensation was actually quite pleasant. She smiled as she gently stroked the baby soft fur. Just then, the tip of the tail twitched ever so slightly in her hands.

Suddenly feeling very nervous, Bulma tensed as a cold chill ran down her spine. Fearfully, she looked up to find a pair of fierce obsidian orbs drilling into her. With a yelp, she released his tail and sprang back. Her helpers were already pressed against the wall and edging towards the exit.

With feline grace, the Saiyan leapt to his feet and eyed them suspiciously. He sniffed the air, tentatively testing the unfamiliar scents that overran his senses. For a tense moment, no one dared to breathe. Then, one of the assistants bolted for the door. With a feral snarl, the Saiyan sprang at him. Bulma swiftly grabbed the nearest heavy object and hurled it at him. It connected with the side of the Saiyan's head, knocking him off balance and sending him crashing to the floor. Seizing the opportunity, Bulma and the others rushed into the energy lock. The heavy glass doors and the barrier closed just as the Saiyan regained his bearings.

Rage filled his features as he glared at them. Bulma felt as if his eyes were boring into her, filling her with fear. With a roar, he picked up the table and hurled it at the barrier. He them proceeded to tear everything in the room apart, slamming objects into the walls repeatedly. Angry screams and savage sounding growls shook the air outside the chamber. Rage and power seemed to roll off of the caged Saiyan in overpowering waves. To Bulma, his anger seemed so intense it was almost tangible.

Although she knew she was safe, Bulma couldn't help trembling in terror. No wonder the Saiyans were feared by all their contemporaries, she thought. Still shaking, she stumbled to meet her colleagues in the control room. Upon reaching it, she immediately collapsed into the nearest chair.

"Oh God," she mumbled. "What have we gotten ourselves into?"

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_Reviews = love_

_Love = happy VBR_

_Happy VBR = more chappies!_

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_The Better Side: lol, humm idk about them but I may be. hehe. Updates should be fast on this one since it's already complete. ^^ mooni21: Yay! It'll be good I promise. teehee, will do! murdrax: Thank you! Well, you probably know it's Vegeta by now... but just in case, it's Vegeta. lol Enjoy hun!  
_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Here, try this." Yamcha said gently as he offered Bulma a cup of steaming hot coffee. She accepted it gratefully. For a moment, she just sat, relaxing into the cushioned chair, and tried to collect herself.

"Well, that sure didn't go as planned." Malone groaned as he ran a long bony hand through his ever-thinning fawn colored hair. His other hand was lightly clutching a pair of heavy rimmed spectacles.

"No joke, Sherlock." Ramassen growled in irritation, his green eyes flashing sharply.

"There's no way we'll be able to get any of the workers back in there now. I warned you guys this might happen." Yamcha huffed at the group as he leaned against the counter top. His lab coat was tossed loosely over his shoulder and his tie was undone. "What did you expect? The Saiyans were a primitive nomadic society of hunters. What little we know about them all points to their having been a very violent culture. It shouldn't really be any kind of shock. Their primal nature and limited development would naturally amplify all of their already aggressive tendencies."

"This is exactly why I said we should bring back a child instead." Ramassen shouted as he stood up and glared at Yamcha.

"Oh sure, just rip some infant out of its mother's arms you heartless creep." Yamcha spat back at him. Yamcha and Ramassen were both expert physicists and well know in their given fields. However, while Ramassen was unquestionably the more brilliant and academically accomplished of the two, Yamcha was definitely more respected and better liked.

"It would only be a Saiyan child, you idiot." Ramassen sneered, and then chuckled darkly. "Besides, its mother's arms probably would have come with it."

"Dang sicko." Malone choked. Malone was a gifted mathematician, one of the foremost of his day. He too, like so many others, admired Ramassen for his brains but found the man himself hard to stomach.

"Enough!" Yamcha commanded loudly as he banged his fist against the countertop. He didn't like Ramassen anymore than Malone did. But unfortunately, the man was a stinking genius and they needed him for this project to work. "What we could have done or should have done is inconsequential at this point. We currently have a full-grown Saiyan male trashing the inside of our time chamber. Now, what are we going to do with him?"

"Continue our research as planned." Bulma finally spoke up, her voice surprisingly calm. The three men turned to look at her. Yamcha and Malone stared at her as though she had sprouted another head.

"With proper safety measures of course." she added.

"Are you insane? I'm not going in there with that thing! Do you see what he's doing in there?" Malone screeched, and pointed a trembling finger at the monitor. "He just tore our table in-half! With his bare hands!"

"So?" Ramassen shrugged.

"It's a stainless steel table!" Malone shouted at him, his brow glistening with sweat. "Why don't you go in there?"

Ramassen paled slightly at the suggestion and fidgeted nervously. "I would of course, but I have no er… expertise in this sort of thing. Field work is not really my strong point." he coughed.

"Don't look at me." Yamcha backed away as their eyes focused on him.

"Well if you're not going to be collecting data on the Saiyan, what are you three going to do?" Bulma raised an eyebrow and shot them a quizzical look.

"Well, I'll be analyzing the data we collect of course." Ramassen coughed.

"I'll need to work out some new graph's and numbers for our next projection figures." Malone mumbled as he stared at his feet.

"As violent as he's being, the Saiyan could damage the chamber. So, I'll need to be monitoring the void's stability and the chamber's status more or less constantly in case we have any problems." Yamcha told her.

"I see. Incredible. But don't you think it'll be kind of difficult for you guys to do all of that without any spines? I'm surprised you three can walk." Bulma rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Whatever, I'll handle gathering the data if you three will take care of everything else."

"But, you can't… he's dangerous Bulma!" Yamcha protested. He didn't really want to have to try and deal with the crazed Saiyan himself, however, his conscious was berating him for letting Bulma take his place. After all, this wasn't even her project originally.

"I'll wear one of those shield belts I built last month." she assured him. A small and lightweight device, the shield belts projected a protective energy field all around the wearer's body.

Still, Yamcha didn't like the idea. "But don't they have to be recharged frequently?"

"It's not a big deal; I'll just have to watch the time. Besides, I'm the only one here who has studied communications and languages extensively. Also, I've had more field experience than the three of you combined so I'll be able to gather data more effectively." she pointed out. Normally, Bulma wouldn't have been interested in any of this. But after seeing that Saiyan, her curiosity had been piqued.

The three men looked uncertainly at one another. Granted, they sure didn't want to have to try and work with the Saiyan. But, letting Bulma take him?

"Well, she does sound like she wants to do it." Ramassen shrugged lamely. Malone and Yamcha stared at each other for a moment.

"Fine." they relented eventually, though neither felt comfortable about the decision.

"I'll inform the committee." Malone offered. All four of them cringed at the mention of the committee. They all hated not having control of their own project. The time chamber project was based on all of their research and brought about because of their hard work. Yet, it was the committee who actually had control of the project.

"I hate having to clear everything with those jerks. We do all the work, but we still have to bend to the wishes of those suits upstairs just because they're holding the checkbook." Yamcha grimaced. It was a sore point for all of them. They all sat quietly for a moment, silently cursing their situation. There was nothing they could do about it though. Each time chamber had cost well over one billion dollars to build, a sum far greater than any of them possessed.

"At least we have a project." Bulma reminded them all as she finished her coffee and stood up. "I'll start with the Saiyan tomorrow. Right now, I think he needs a little time to calm down. See ya later, I'm going home."

With that, she picked up her things and walked out of the room.

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_Thanks for reading and reviewing, which you all are gonna do right? ^^;;_

Remember, reviews = love;Love = happy VBR; Happy VBR = more chappies!

And we all know that more chappies equals a better world with candy, cupcakes, and puppies for all! :3

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XxKuroyoxX : lol, ti's different, no? Yes! I'm everywhere! Hehehe. Yeah, I promise much originality in this fic! Lol, this is my first attempt at writing drama so we'll see how it goes. :S Well, I had to have him do something other than play baseball, that just wouldn't fit. lol, he's actually not a jerk in this story either. Hehe.

LeParfaitAmour : heehee, Yay! You got the explanation you were looking for. Ah, never fear, the mysterious Saiyan vanishing will be explained, later. Lol, I read these before bed too, weird dreams sometimes. Hehe, glad I made you happy, I'm going to try to update every few days. Thanks!

Nintendocat : lol, Well, he won't communicate by grunting but …… oh, you'll see. I have to shut up before I give it all away. Lol. Thanks and enjoy the update!

LunarSinner :Thanks! Enjoy the new chappy!

IfLooksCouldKill: Thank you very much! No worries, updates should be fast. ^^

The Better Side : lol, glad you liked it. Well, I can honestly say I've never come across another story remotely like this one. It's kind a like time travel in reverse, lol. Since it's already written, I'm hoping to finish this story in record time. I don't know how many chappies it will because I'm just dividing it up as I go, but I'm planning on updating every few days. So, you should have all of your answers soon. ^_^  



	4. Chapter 4

I was going to wait a couple of days to post this chappie, but mainly due to IfLooksCouldKill and Kuroyo's urgings I'm posting it now. ^w^ Enjoy guys!  


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Chapter 4

The next morning, Bulma came into work feeling excited and curious about what her day would hold. Confidence filling her with each step, she felt ready for anything. No savage caveman could intimidate her, she'd had six cups of coffee this morning, even though she had only been up for an hour! Powered by pure Brazilian grown caffeine, she was ready to conquer the world. If that Saiyan tried to give her a hard time, he would find himself facing her steamy breakfast beverage fueled wrath!

Quickly getting down to business, Bulma gathered up all of the supplies that she thought she might need. Snapping on a shield belt, she took a deep breath and headed for the time chamber. Gingerly, she entered the energy lock. Similar in construction to an air lock, the energy lock served as the entrance to the time chamber. It allowed her and her fellow scientists to enter the chamber without having to create a breach in the barrier. It also insured that nothing accidentally escaped from the chamber

The barrier was a high-energy field that was projected all around the edge of the chamber, completely enclosing it like a bubble. This power shield was necessary to create the time void and keep the time chamber's occupants anchored to the present. If it were to rupture it would cause devastating results. Fortunately though, it also acted much like a force field around the chamber's walls, protecting them from harm. Bulma was both pleased and relieved to note that the chamber's walls appeared undamaged by the Saiyan's rampage the day before.

She waited patiently until she was allowed to enter the main part of the chamber. This area was like a large square room and had been equipped with a few basic living necessities. Under normal circumstances, it had an almost operating room feeling of cleanliness about it. Now however, broken equipment, instruments, and furniture littered the floor. Carefully, Bulma entered the room and picked her way through some of the debris as she scanned the area. The place was a mess.

And there, sitting with arms and legs crossed, in the middle of it all, was the culprit responsible for all the devastation.

The Saiyan stared at her with intense coal black eyes. Bulma got the distinct impression that she was some foolish little mouse that had just wandered into a lion's den. A very hungry lion. There was something predator like about his eyes and stance that made her want to turn around and run.

"Hello there!" she smiled, trying her best to sound normal. His eyes never faltered as he continued to sit and stare at her. Bulma shifted uncomfortably back and forth. His intense gaze was unnerving her and making her feel disconcerted. What was she supposed to do now?

"You really made a mess of things didn't you?" she said as she let her eyes wander about the room again. He just persisted with his watch. Stupid Bulma, she thought to herself. Of course he wasn't going to answer her, she seriously doubted he could. Carefully, she crept closer to inspect him.

"At least he's not having another temper tantrum." she mumbled.

As she approached him, she was very much surprised to find that there were no traces of blood or dirt anywhere on his person. His body, his hair, his clothing and even his tail looked fluffy and clean. What the heck? Did he figure out how to wash himself up? She tilted her head to one side and looked at him in puzzlement.

The Saiyan watched her come slowly closer to him, stopping just a few feet away. As she stood looking at him, he leaned slightly in, towards her, and casually sniffed the air. His eyes flickered for a second as he caught her scent, but then he sat back and closed his eyes. The Saiyan made no movement after that. He didn't even open his eyes for the remainder of the time that Bulma was in the chamber with him.

She stood and watched him with a growing sense of irritation. Of all the things she had imagined that he might do today, playing statue was not one of them. She considered trying to touch him, but a glance at the mutilated steel table changed her mind. It was probably best not to push her luck with a guy who could tear through steel like it was butter. At least not right off the bat. Besides, he still seemed to have some invisible aura of danger floating about him, warning her that touching would likely lead to dying.

Baffled, disappointed, and generally ticked, Bulma finally got ready to leave when she heard the low battery warning on her belt beep.

"Well, it's been fun. Really." Bulma said to him, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I could hardly stand the excitement. You Saiyans must have been a real party crowd."

Things continued in this manner through out the week. Bulma would come into the chamber twice a day for a couple of hours each time and then leave when her belt needed to be recharged. The Saiyan never once acknowledged her existence, sitting with his eyes closed the entire time she was there.

Bulma had sat quietly staring at him for the first two days before the silence finally started to get to her. The guy was so quiet that she couldn't even hear him breathing. There were absolutely no sounds inside the chamber as she sat there. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

"So are you always this chatty or do you just like me?" She asked in a teasing tone. "Do you even know how to talk?"

The Saiyan still made no move.

"Fine, if you won't talk, I will." she stated loudly as she put her hands on her hips and glared at him. He opened his eyes to look at her briefly but then closed them again.

"Well, to start with my name is Bulma. I'm beautiful, talented, brilliant, and you should be mighty glad you get to spend time with me Mr. Monkey-man! And what is up with that tail? Did all Saiyans have one or are you just a freak? How do you get your hair to stand up like that? And what do…" she prattled on, not even pausing after she asked a question since she knew he wouldn't answer. Talking was always something she could do without any effort. So, she would simply chatter the whole time that she was in the chamber with him.

Thus, everyday the Saiyan would have his peace disrupted for hours on end by Bulma just chatting away. She talked about everything she could think of, from the latest sports reports to how she decided what to wear that day. Aside from the fact that he seemed to have developed a slight twitch in his one eye, however, the Saiyan showed no response to all of her banter.  


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_  
Thanks for reading and reviewing, which all of you who are enjoying this fic will kindly do for little old me, won't ya my lovelies? ^^_

Remember, reviews = love; Love = happy VBR; Happy VBR = more chappies! 3

And more chappies equals more B/V goodness, which we all want. ^w^ If you don't want that than why are even you reading this? Oo

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IfLooksCouldKill: Yes, yes you are! OO lol, I feel pity for your plight, so here's a chappie for ya! hehe, I should have another update out this week too, but I have a wedding this weekend so we'll see. Oo Yes, this story is all written out and finished, no writers block for me!^^ Hehe, Awww, you're making me blush. X3 Hugs!

Leadx: Tahnx, No worries, glad you like it!^^

XxKuroyoxX: lol, well my friend's dog did just have a bunch of puppies, but there not quite old enough to give away yet lol. So I guess an update will have to do. Besides, I don't think it's a good idea to mail puppies. =.= Or so I've been told. ;p Hehe, Yes life is full of drama, but I think that's why I really don't care for it in my stories much. lol, I think die. Yup, definitely die. lol, ^^;;

LunarSinner: :3 thank you!

The Better Side: Hehehe, that's our Bulma! Veggie's being stubborn.

LeParfaitAmour: *bows* You're welcome hun! More soon. ;p

Darkangl28: Thank you, updates should be fast. ^^;  



	5. Chapter 5

This chapter is brought to you all by my fear of mail order wasps, and I don't mean the nice ones. =.='

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**Chapter 5**

At the end of the week, Yamcha, Ramassen, and Malone had decided that maybe the Saiyan wasn't so dangerous after all. Well, it was mostly Ramassen's and Yamcha's decision, Malone just got unwillingly roped in. Feeling brave due to the Saiyan's lack of activity, the three resolved to venture into the time chamber themselves. Bulma had stayed outside to monitor the chamber's stats as a precaution.

The Saiyan's dark eyes flashed as the three scientists entered the room, his head whipping around in their direction. For a tense moment all four of them stared at one another. Malone's face was damp with sweat as he regarded the Saiyan with a trembling gaze.

"M-maybe this wasn't such a g-good idea." he stuttered, his hands anxiously gripping his clipboard.

"Be a man." Ramassen growled. Malone sent him a quick irritated glance before turning his attention back to the source of his fears.

Outside, Bulma watched closely on the monitor as the Saiyan shifted his position so that he was facing the men fully, well defined muscles gliding like steel cables under his bronze skin. She saw Malone gulp, he had seen what those muscles could do. Images of the Saiyan's rampage back when they had first brought him here flashed through her mind. She knew they were flashing through Malone's mind as well.

"I-I think we s-should go." Malone began to turn and move towards the exit.

"Get back here!" Ramassen barked and grabbed Malone's arm, harshly whirling him back around. "This is for science you gutless waste of cells!"

"Blast science!" Malone cried as he twisted desperately to get out Ramassen's hold. "The whole reason I chose to be a dang mathematician was so I wouldn't have to do this suicidal garbage. I'm going back to my numbers where it's safe!"

"Guys! Knock it off! You're upsetting him." Yamcha hissed frantically, his wide eyes still glued nervously to the Saiyan. Both of the arguing men froze and then slowly turned back towards the center of the room. Their actions were too late now, though.

That short outburst was all it had taken to arouse the Saiyan's interest. Uncoiling like a panther, he sprang to his feet as if being drawn up by invisible strings, facing the three men warily. Their scents were unfamiliar to him, they had an aroma of fear and alarm hanging about them. He liked the smell of fear. His eyes lit up with a cold glow as his lips drew back in a feral snarl, revealing a sharp set of canines. A low warning growl rumbled from deep in his throat as he sized up these new intruders.

That one growl was all it took for Malone to deplete his small supply of courage and go running for the exit. Yamcha and Ramassen were soon sent scrambling after him when the Saiyan sprang through the air after them.

Malone made it safely into the exit chamber, the doors closing behind him. Turning, he watched in terror as the Saiyan easily lifted the room's one remaining heavy metal table over his head and threw it across the room at the glass doors. Thankfully, the barrier protected them and kept them from shattering.

"What the-?" Ramassen spatt, surprise and irritation written across his features. "I though I told you morons to bolt that thing to the floor!"

"It _was_ bolted to the floor!" Yamacha's face paled as he pointed to the ragged holes in the floor tiles.

Seeing the Saiyan moving towards them, both men turned to run when they felt something grab them. Catching the back of Yamcha's and Ramassen's lab coats, the Saiyan grinned savagely as he effortlessly lifted both men over his head and began batting them around the room like rag dolls.

The shields they were wearing were the only thing that saved their lives. If not for them, both men would have had all the bones in their bodies crushed to powder within a few short minutes. Even with the belts on, both men had still sustained a fair amount of damage, though none of it was life-threatening.

Afterward, they had all agreed _not_ to try that again. Yamcha had speculated that they were attacked because they were males. Since the Saiyans supposedly lived in almost pack-like society, the presence of foreign males could have been perceived by the Saiyan as a danger or a challenge. Since Bulma was a female though, Yamcha had reasoned, her presence was tolerated and not considered to be a cause for alarm or violent aggression.

The next day, Bulma went back to handling researching the Saiyan, which meant that she went back to talking to her self, and the three men went back to doing whatever the heck they did before. Personally, Bulma was pleased with this arrangement, although she wished she could get that Saiyan to finally do something.

Slowly, a whole month dragged by. Bulma tried everything she could think of to get the Saiyan to respond to her, even bringing in various objects she though might catch his attention. Nothing worked, however. Occasionally, he would sit and watch her while she was in the room, at other times he would just close his eyes as if he were asleep. She was making no progress at all. So far, all they had learned about Saiyans was that they were incredibly strong and could eat impossibly large amounts of food. She had to do better than this!

* * *

You're all so nice for reviewing! Makes me so happy. ^^ Hugs for you all! More chappies soon my lovelies!

Remember, reviews = love; Love = happy VBR; Happy VBR = more chappies! :3

And more chappies equals more B/V goodness, which we all want. ^w^ Plus you'll have the answers to all your question, it's a win-win!

Thanks for reading!

VBR~

mooni21 : lol you'll see. ^^ yes I am working on the next chapter for TT, so never fear!

IfLooksCouldKill: Yes they did. They makes me sooo happy! Yays for updates. Wow I feel so flattered! X3 Yes, new chappies can be really hard to write, I get stuck with TT all the time. Lol, oh great, my stories become a drug.-_-' 2 chappies? Eh, well I still have to update Tempas Terror and The Replacement soon or my readers tend to get a little upset with me. +_+;;

XxKuroyoxX : Aww, hope they'll be home soon. Well, their muts, little ones. They have yorkie and a bunch of other stuff mixed in. OO good point. Lol

LeParfaitAmour: And answers you shall have my loyal reader! Very soon. O_~

LunarSinner : thank you, hehehe, Veggie deserves it! ^^ Rraz45: lol, tis all made clear in the next two chappies. thanks for reviewing! mooni21: Hehe evil author abilities say you must wait to find out. XP Ah, curse their evilness, it's corrupting me! I am working on the next chappie for Tempas Terror, it's just not typed yet. :S Thank you!

Cendrekai: Hehehe, see? It works! Thanks for giving it a chance. ^^

The Better Side : Ah, now I understand. Yays for apples and love! Yes, I am susceptible to bugging, lol. Veggie's reaction, or lack there of is further explained in the next chappy.I have a confession to make, Goku's 6000 years in the past. :'( So he doesn't do much. -_- Sorry. But the at the end they all… Gah! I gotta shut up before I give it all away! XO But I'll try to update The Replacement soon to make up for it since that's my Goku story. ^^


	6. Chapter 6

I got an extra chappie done this week so enjoy my lovelies! The next one should be out early next week. ^^

**Chapter 6**

* * *

Groggily, Bulma rolled over and looked at her alarm clock with distaste. The glowing red numbers unsympathetically informed her that it was six thirty and time for her to be getting ready for work. Today was day forty-three on the Saiyan project. It would be the forty-second day that she had spent working with the Saiyan in the time chamber. A blasted month and half, almost, of getting absolutely nowhere.

"God, I've been talking to myself in that stupid little room for forty two days straight! I can't take this anymore." she growled into her pillow. "My jaw is going to fall off soon."

Begrudgingly, she got up and dressed for work while she thought about her 'Saiyan' problem. The one thing she couldn't stand was being ignored. How could he react so violently when Yamcha and the others were around, yet completely disregard her presence. A few times before she had attempted to touch him, but a dangerous sounding growl had informed her that that was a big no-no. Bulma continued to mull over the matter as she picked up her keys and left her small apartment. Today will be different, she vowed.

Caught in the regular morning traffic jam, Bulma drummed her fingers on the steering wheel in irritation. Why did she put up with all of this? She didn't even get paid that much. Shoot, this wasn't even her project originally. She had only agreed to help because Yamcha was an old friend and he had asked her to. She sighed and turned on the radio to hear the traffic report.

Apparently, there had been an accident on the highway that morning and traffic was backed up twice as much as normal, meaning that she was going to be late. Bulma cursed as she looked at the clock. Man, she _hated_ this city. As she looked out her car window, she noted with distress that the temperature today was already above 95 degrees Fahrenheit. She laid her head down on the steering wheel and groaned. That meant the lab would feel like a furnace today.

"You would think that, somewhere along the line, one of the _geniuses _that work here would be able to figure out how to make a half decent air-conditioning system for the lab." She grumbled as she stepped in to the humid building, a half-hour later than she was supposed to. As she hurriedly walked to her station, she took a sip of coffee but then quickly spit it out. The man at the coffee shop had accidentally given her plain decaffeinated instead of her usual mocha flavored regular.

"Oh, this day just keeps getting better and better." she hissed as her eyes narrowed at the traitorous coffee cup. 'What exactly was the point of decaffeinated coffee?' she wondered. It's just bitter brown water without any kick. Why in the world would anybody drink that?

She continued grumbling to herself about the unfairness of the universe as she got her supplies together for her day in the time chamber. She picked up the shield belt with distaste. Rather than projecting a force field around the wearer, like some giant human-sized hamster ball, the shield belt emitted a high frequency energy field just above the surface of the skin. This field was just strong enough to deflect damage, yet not interfere with movement or breathing. The only problem with this design was that it also created a lot of heat. On a normal day, it would make the wearer feel a bit warm but not overly so. On a day when the lab was already unbearably stuffy though, Bulma felt like she was strapping an oven to her waste. Wallowing in self-pity, she put the belt on and headed into the chamber for another long day.

Stepping into the time chamber, she saw that the Saiyan was lying on his stomach on the bed they had placed in the corner. His tail was waving lazily back and forth in the air behind him as he stretched out like some giant cat. He never even blinked when she walked in.

"Good morning jerk." she muttered as she stomped over to a chair and sat down. Nothing was going to make this a good day.

Slowly she watched the minutes on her wristwatch tick by. After an hour, she finally couldn't take it anymore. The heat was unbearable. She was sweaty, she missed her coffee, and she was sure she was about to burst into flames. She looked down at her shield belt, the device was totally silent and the energy field it emitted was invisible to the naked eye.

'I could just take it off.' she reasoned. 'It's not like he can even tell I'm wearing it.'

It was kind of risky she admitted, but she couldn't keep going like this or she'd melt. Besides, if he hadn't done anything to her after all this time…

Cautiously, she slipped her hand down to her belt and checked to make sure the Saiyan was still ignoring her. Holding her breath as she pushed the button, Bulma turned the shield off. The heat that had been surrounding her skin instantly began to dissipate, to her immense relief. Smiling, her gaze went back to the Saiyan and she felt her heart falter.

His tail had frozen in midair and his whole body seemed to coil tightly as he glared at her suspiciously. Bulma's heart was pounding as she stared back at him.

No.

No freakin' way.

The shield was supposed to be undetectable! It was completely silent and invisible, her mind screamed. There was absolutely, unquestionably, no way he could have detected it. It wasn't humanly possible!

Suddenly, the Saiyan vanished from his spot on the bed and reappeared right in front of her. Bulma gave a small cry of alarm and jolted backwards, sending herself and her chair crashing to the ground. Out of instinct, her hands reached out for something to grab hold of.

Regrettably, the Saiyan was the only thing within reach and she ungracefully pulled them both to the ground with a loud thump. She groaned and opened her eyes, only to find a pair of obsidian orbs gazing down at her. She blushed realizing she had just pulled him down on top of her. But, dang it, how did he move so fast? He scared the daylights out of her.

Bulma wasn't sure if she should try to push the Saiyan off or if she should wait for him to get up on his own. Since her belt was turned off, she really didn't want to upset him. After a moment or two though, it became apparent that he wasn't moving anytime soon. He had pushed himself up so he wasn't crushing her anymore, but he still hovered just inches above her. His eyes seemed to be studying her with a slightly amused expression. Slowly, he reached up and touched a few locks of her hair, running it through his fingers as he examined it.

Completely bewildered and suddenly _very_ warm, Bulma gently pushed against his chest with her hand. As she had hoped, he seemed to get the message and swiftly stood up. Bulma quickly scrambled to her feet, trying to calm her racing heart as she mentally berated herself for being so clumsy.

When she looked up at the Saiyan, he was standing about two feet away and smirking as he watched her dust herself off. He then sent her a bored look that seemed to say, "now what?"

"I-I" she stuttered as she tried to get her bearings, then her face darkened.

"YOU JERK! You mean to tell me, you've been giving me the cold shoulder this whole time just because I was wearing that stupid shield belt?" she exploded with rage, all fear of him forgotten. "How the heck did you even know I had it? And are you trying to give me a heart attack? How on earth did you move so fast? If you don't wipe that smirk off your face right now, I'll rip it off permanently jackass! Nobody laughs at me monkey boy!" Her blue eyes flashed with anger and her slender frame was quaking as she glared at him. Nobody messed with her like this!

A smug look spread across the Saiyan's face as she ranted. So the female could be entertaining after all, he thought. It was about time she took that silly contraption off.

"Well, now that you're acknowledging me, how about some introductions?" Bulma huffed as she finally calmed down. "I'm Bulma." she said and pointed to herself.

"And you are?" she pointed to him.

The Saiyan just stood still for a moment, then he carefully leaned down and sniffed her hand. Straightening up, he cocked his head to the side as he regarded her for a few moments. Finally, a deep gruff voice answered her.

"Vegeta."

* * *

Hope you liked! Once again, thanks for reading and reviewing! It makes my day to hear from you guys. ^w^ More chappies soon my lovelies!

Remember, reviews = love; Love = happy VBR; Happy VBR = more chappies! :3

Plus if you review, I'll allow you to help me take over the world with the amazing power of my army of ninja hamsters! Well actually, I just want the rights to DBZ, you can have the rest of the world. Muahahaha! :3

Thanks for reading!

VBR~

Darkangl28 : Perceptive little devil aren't you? lol, The Saiyans are talked about a lot in later chappies. More chappies soon. I'm hoping to finish this story in record time.^^ Short chappies just help me update faster. Thanks for the review!

Nintendocat : I couldn't resist. XD lol, you never know. Enjoy the update!

The Better Side : Lol, hehehe, I had to make sure they wouldn't interefere later so I had Veggie put the fear of God in them. Er, I mean, fear of meeting God. I'm starting the next chappie for TR this weekend so it'll be up soon. ^^

XxKuroyoxX : I loves Goldens! I just can't have one where I live. Aww, they'll be sooo CUTE! *VBR reads line about wasps and suddenly feels like updating all of her fics* Yays! I wins! Cuddels a puppy for mes! (Yes I know I said mes) ^^;

LeParfaitAmour : lol, wan't it? Speed is my goal with this ficcy! I want to see how fast I can finish it. Thank you so much! *blush* I will be updating TT soon. I'm so glad you like them. Ah, stop it, my ego is to big already! *blush*


	7. Chapter 7

For the appeasement of Mewsaphine.

* * *

Chapter 7

"Ve-ge-ta." Bulma tried the unusual name out on her tongue again and smiled. She was lying on her bed staring up at the ceiling. "I like that."

What she like even more though, was the voice that had said it. It was deep and rugged, with just a hint of a possible accent. She sighed, she wouldn't mind hearing it again. It was kind of sexy.

After that day in the chamber, she had thought that Vegeta would begin speaking freely around her, at least saying something in his own language now and then. That wasn't what happened though. Instead, weeks had now passed since that day and he had yet to utter another word. It was disappointing to say the least.

Confused by Vegeta's refusal to communicate verbally with her, she had asked Yamcha and Ramassen for their thoughts on the matter. Both men had told her that they believed Vegeta's behavior to be normal.

"Since the Saiyans left absolutely no written records of any kind behind," Yamcha had told her, "historians believe that they probably had extremely underdeveloped language skills."

Ramassen had been more blunt.

"They were big dumb brutes and talking likely wasn't of much importance to them. End of story." he snorted and went back to his status report for the committee, effectively dismissing her.

Bulma growled and twisted the sheets in her hands, there had to a better answer. On the bright side though, Vegeta's behavior had toward her _had_ changed. Since she had stopped wearing the belt, he no longer ignored her presence. With patience, and plenty of food bribes, she had even begun to conduct small studies on his physical abilities. She blushed and felt her face heat up as she remembered the first time that Vegeta had allowed her to examine him.

_

* * *

*Flashback*_

Bulma had been sitting on her knees with Vegeta sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of her. She was in the process of giving him a physical examination and he was being rather cooperative, up to a point anyway. He had made it very clear he would not tolerate her touching his tail. He also wouldn't he let her use any of her instruments on him. Her poor stethoscope, it was now lying in a mutilated pile on the chamber floor. It never had a chance after he ripped it out of her hands, sending her an indignant look. But then, Bulma had to admit it probably did feel mighty cold against his bare chest.

After that little mishap, Bulma carefully checked his vitals by hand and examined him the best she could without her instruments. She was surprised by how warm he felt. His skin was hot like he had a fever, yet he appeared to be healthy. Vegeta seemed amused when she wanted to look in his mouth, but after a little coaxing he allowed her to. She found he had bright white, perfectly shaped teeth. His canines were unexpectedly fang-like in their appearance. She also found that, unlike the average person, all of Vegeta's other teeth, including molars, had exceedingly sharp edges on them.

Moving on, she inspected his hair next. It was incredibly thick as she ran her hands through it, yet it had a definite softness to it. The individual strands were thick and very smooth, growing straight up in gravity defying flame shaped spikes.

Also, the guy seemed to be exploding with muscles. Every inch of his body looked like it had been expertly sculpted. Looking at him, Bulma wondered if all Saiyans were built like Vegeta was. She tried to imagine an entire civilization of shirtless men with handsomely carved bodies like Vegeta had and she almost started drooling. Brushing these thoughts aside, she checked his pulse and then cautiously placed her ear against his chest. A warm blush spread across her cheeks as she listened to his even heart rate. She could feel the warmth from his breath on the top of her head. Gulping, she sat back and smiled.

"Now, that wasn't so bad was it, Vegeta?" she asked him and started to get up. Something pulled her back, however, and she fell back on her bottom with a startled huff. Looking down, she saw a furry brow appendage had wound itself around her waist. Vegeta gazed at her impassively. Slowly, he leaned forward and looked her over.

"Oh, I see. I examined you, so you get to inspect me now, huh? I guess that's ok." Bulma giggled as he sniffed her lab coat and made a disgusted face. She knew her coat smelt of chemicals and grease from the lab. Vegeta growled and made a motion for her to get rid of it. Deciding to play along, Bulma slipped her coat off and tossed it aside. Now, she only had her usual tank top and slacks on.

Satisfied with this, Vegeta continued his inspection of the odd female. He frowned as he felt her arms; she had hardly any muscle definition. What a weak creature, he thought. How did she survive? He paused as he studied one of her hands. Her nails were a bright red color and he could smell some sort of lacquer coating them. What was the point of painting them? Vegeta shook his head in confusion.

Bulma felt her face turning pink as Vegeta held her hand in both of his, gently looking it over. He seemed perplexed by her nail polish.

Shifting his attention to her hair, Vegeta released her hand. Bulma had her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. With a swift tug, he removed her hair tie, causing her locks to cascade down onto her shoulders. Vegeta gently ran his fingers through it, enmeshing his hand in her silken tresses. Leaning forward, he buried his nose in the cerulean cloud. Her hair was amazingly soft and smelled nice, like wildflowers. He felt like he was running his fingers through a river of silk. No female Saiyan had ever had hair like this. Her skin was smooth and soft too, he realized. He lowered his head to her shoulder, scenting her there.

Bulma found herself breathing faster as Vegeta trailed the invisible line from her bare shoulder to her neck. He then proceeded up to the spot where her neck met the angle of her jaw. Vegeta brushed his nose against her skin as he gently breathed her in. Bulma felt a shiver run down her back when he touched her. Now, Vegeta could pick up a light smell, like spice, coming from her. Her skin smelled like a sweet spice, whereas her hair had the delicate scent of summer wildflowers. Vegeta let her aroma flood his senses, he liked the way she smelt. Curious, he wondered if she tasted sweet too.

Bulma's chest contracted, stealing her breath away, as she felt something warm and wet caress the hollow just bellow her jaw. Did he just lick her? Her face flushed as Bulma fought to compose herself. Vegeta, however, simply released her and sat back. His face was completely stoic. His little inspection had satisfied his curiosity about this strange female for the time being.

_*End flashback*

* * *

_

Bulma buried her face in her pillow and groaned as she replayed the whole scene in her head for the thousandth time.

"No more Tarzan and Jane fantasies, Bulma." she scolded herself. Then she pouted. This situation had trouble written all over it. In spite of the fact that Vegeta tended to behave like an animal, Bulma couldn't deny that he had a strong aura of sensuality about him. He was really very handsome, and if anything, the animalistic behavior just added to his appeal in a disturbing sort of way. Bulma growled and punched her pillow.

"If I had a boyfriend for once, this wouldn't be happening to me. Urgh, why it that the only gorgeous hunk of man meat, that I get to spend hours of alone time with, has to be some Saiyan guy caught in a time void?" she screamed up at the ceiling. "Life is so not fair!"

* * *

Hope you enjoyed the update my lovelies. :3 It ended up being a little longer than usual, but I'm sure you're all ok with that.

I'll try to get another update out this week, but my dad is home for the whole week so I won't have very much down time. My pop is a project maniac. He and my mom just decided to paint one of the bedrooms so I'm going to be kinda busy. But I'll hopefully be able to get another chappy out this week. ^^ Also, because I originally wrote this as a one shot b/v get together, my original story came out a little rushed and jumpy in places. But since I made it into a multi-chapter fic, I'm adding some stuff to help the story line flow more smoothly. Hope it turns out. Hugs for all! ;3

Thank you all for reviewing! You make me so happy. ^^ Hugs for you all! More chappies soon my lovelies!

Remember, reviews = love; Love = happy VBR; Happy VBR = more chappies! :3

And more chappies equals more B/V goodness and what is better than that? Seriously?

Thanks for reading!

VBR~

* * *

IfLooksCouldKill: Nice new fic hun. Call off the kitty? ^^;; I need the furry little guys for a hostile world take over. If she eats em, all I's gots left is a bunny general. =.= Hum, well.... no spoilers! Muhahaha, evil author abilities, hehehe Kuroyo taught me about them. ]XD I'd let him sniff me, and lick me... shoot, I'd lick him back. And biting.... gah! bad thoughts VBR! XD Oh, and don't let your feet get cold.^^

mooni21: Ah, I can't make it too easy right? lol, Hope you like the update!

Project Shadow: Aw, I'm really blushing now. As if my ego needed to get any bigger. Thanks hun.

-CelestialPurity-: Thanks! Dang it you guys are making my ego to big. I won't be able to fit through the door way pretty soon. lol ^^

Rraz45: Thanks hun, hope ya like!

XxKuroyoxX: lol, Now I get it. Oo, sometimes I think you may be more evil than me. Yays for puppies.^^

The Better Side: Veggie brings out my silly fangirl side, especially in bv fics so I now what you mean. lol, Yes, they travel around in evil rolling balls of death. Oo Hugs!

Nintendocat: Thankies. Heehee, what did you have in mind? Hope you like this chappy!

LeParfaitAmour: lol, thanks! Yay! he can be our bunnt genral and help lead us to world conquest. Or at least help us take over FUNimation. Hum, sounds like a sweet deal to me. DBZ forever! ^w^


	8. Chapter 8

To all of you who are having as annoying a week as I am, this chapter is for you.

* * *

Chapter 8

Days were beginning to pass by in a pleasant sort of haze for Bulma. Every morning she woke up, dressed, went to work, and spent her whole day in the time chamber. It was her established routine, and she liked it. She liked spending hours in that room alone with Vegeta. That's not to say working with the handsome Saiyan was always easy. The guy was moody and stubborn. Some days, he would just sulk gloomily in the corner or on his bed. Bulma hated those days the most, nothing she did would interest him then. There were also days when he would storm around the room, refusing to have anything to do with her and growling at her whenever she approached him. On other days though, he would seem almost playful, teasing and taunting her.

Bulma swore Vegeta would do things just to tick her off. Recently, she had been trying to run a series of tests on him, hoping that they would help her to assess his reasoning and problem solving skills. To date however, she hadn't really had a whole lot of success with her endeavors. This was mostly due to the fact that Vegeta wasn't exactly being very accommodating about participating in these little exercises.

Today though, Bulma had a plan she though just might get Vegeta to cooperate with her.

Vegeta watched as Bulma set a small brown bag down on the table, there was a sweet delicious aroma coming from it. The savory smell was unfamiliar to him, yet it was already making his mouth water. Curious, he waited while she pulled out a small circular object and ate it. Then, she took another and held it up for him to see.

"Ok, Vegeta, these are cookies. I baked them myself." she smiled proudly and tossed one to him.

"Here, try one. It's peanut butter and chocolate chip. I promise they're good." she cooed coaxingly.

Vegeta sniffed the new item suspiciously before taking a tentative bite. Chewing slowly, he let his taste buds soak in this wonderful new flavor. Sugary and buttery goodness melted together on his tongue. Swallowing, Vegeta smirked and quickly shoved the rest of the cookie in his mouth, carefully licking all the crumbs from his lips. He then looked at Bulma expectantly; his stern dark eyes silently demanded more of these new treats. Bulma grinned at him.

"So you liked it, huh? I thought you would." she gloated and waved the bag in the air. "Now, here's the deal. I'll give you another cookie if you come over here and put these blocks into groups of the same color- Wha? Hey! Give that back!" she screeched.

The bag Bulma had been holding vanished right out of her grasp. She looked up to find Vegeta had some how snatched the goodie-bag right out from under her very nose, literally.

Vegeta was now sitting, his prize perched securely in his lap, and devouring the bag's entire contents at something close to the speed of light. He glanced over at Bulma and smirked wickedly, his eyes taunting her. No weak human female was ever going to manipulate him into doing some absurd childish task. He snorted, sorting colored blocks? Preposterous. He was a Saiyan warrior, foolish woman. Was she insane? If she was really so worried about the organization of her precious little blocks, she could sort them herself. He certainly was not going to have anything to do with these ludicrous shenanigans. However, he did like these 'cookie' things she had brought. He made a mental note to watch and see if she brought anymore with her in the future. If she did, he would have to snatch those too.

"You big ape!" Bulma was still fuming at him, her face turning a brilliant shade of crimson. "Give those back right this instant! You were supposed to work for them, not just take them whenever you wanted, you stupid jerk!"

She made a dive for the bag but Vegeta nimbly avoided her grasp and leapt over to the table. Furious, Bulma sprang after him.

"Those are mine, give them back! Dang it! Vegeta!" She screamed. It's like trying to catch a stupid cat, she growled to herself as the Saiyan once again gracefully outmaneuvered her. She cursed as she stumbled over a chair and heard him chuckling.

Oh, that did it.

_Nobody _laughed at Bulma Briefs.

Outside the chamber in the control room, Yamcha nearly fell off of his chair when he looked at the surveillance monitor. Laughing, he watched as Bulma chased the Saiyan cookie-thief in circles around the room, all the while screaming obscenities at the top of her lungs. Furniture and instruments were sent flying through the air as the two of them raced across the room like a couple of kids.

"You are in _so_ much trouble when I get my hands on you!" she panted and glared at him. Too bad for her, glaring was all but useless on Vegeta. You just can't out-glare the glare-master.

Vegeta simply grinned irritatingly at her and licked the crumbs from his fingers, tossing the now empty bag back in her face. Ha, he smirked. He had gotten food and a show. The female really could be most entertaining when she was angry. He should steal her things more often.

"Y-you ate them all!" Bulma's eyes widened in disbelief. "You pig! I only got one!"

Vegeta crouched on top of the table and watched her gloatingly. Any second now, he told himself.

"AARRGH! I'm going to _kill_ you! You selfish monkey man!" She shrieked and charged at him with rage flashing in her eyes.

Ah, there it is. Vegeta grinned as their chase began again. Now this was fun, much better than sorting silly blocks.

* * *

Thanks for reading and reviewing everyone.

Remember, reviews = love; Love = happy VBR; Happy VBR = more chappies! :3

And isn't that really what you all want?

VBR~

* * *

_hopelessly_demented: lol, Thanks, glad you liked it.^^_

_Darkangl28: When I started to read this, I thought you meant I was boring you. Oo But then I got what you really , Whew! Ya, my dad thinks people need to be sweating all the time or something. lol, how true. ^^ Hugs!_

_IfLooksCouldKill: Hope you like hun. You're welcome, your new fic is awesome! I like messing with the two of them. X3 Angst and heavy drama are not my thing though, so this story won't be real heavy in those departments. But there will be some problems for the two of them later, can't let things be too easy right? Veggie is my favorite bad boy ever. lol, I love that movie! Nasty shape teeth lol. Hum, the bunny is another reviewers. But my hamhams are pretty scary when they get their tiny numchucks out. ^^  
_

_-CelestialPurity-: lol, But isn't always hot with Veggie around? ^^;; Thank you very much! I try my best. n_n My writing has improved a bit since I started writing on here. Practice really does help I guess.  
_

_Rraz45: Heehee, me like too. Thanks. ;3_

_Project Shadow: You're making me blush. lol, I think you're Thank you.  
_

_The Better Side: For Veggie, I'd take lick over talking any day. __lol, I actually added all that stuff last minute, I felt my original storyline needed some more interaction between them. I love Veggie when he get's muddled. Thanks, as fast as I can I promise. Oh, and I'm half way done with the next update for The Replacement._

_Nintendocat: Yup. XD Glad you enjoyed it. YAY! You're actually making me sound kind of smart. hum, that would have worked too I guess. I think you'll get why he could sense it in a few chappies.  
_

_Unknown: Thanks!_

_XxKuroyoxX: hehehe, sisters of mayhem! Muahahahaha! Yeeeeesssssss, Veggie is yummy! Why can't we own him?! *sobs*  
_


	9. Chapter 9

I hate digging potatoes.

That is all.

* * *

Chapter 9

Recently, Bulma had also begun attempting to teach Vegeta to speak her language. Her enthusiasm for this task, however, dwindled considerably after he tore up all of her flashcards and refused to make any sounds whatsoever. He actually seemed kind of offended when she waved pictures of the dancing and smiling fruits in his face. Maybe, she shouldn't have used supplies meant for teaching preschoolers.

Since then, on a few rare occasions, Vegeta did make a series of grumbling coarse sounds that she suspected might actually be the Saiyan's native language. It seemed fitting somehow, to Bulma, that Vegeta's language would sound rough and harsh, regardless of what was being said. The man himself had a naturally abrasive disposition and behaved in a coldly aloof manner most of the time.

Although Vegeta had never really hurt her physically before, his violent temper did not simply fade away. Bulma found herself being reminded, quite frequently, that his tolerance of her was _not_ limitless.

"Vegeta, work with me here." she growled and tried to push the Saiyan down on to one of the time chamber's tables. "We just want an x-ray of you tail!"

She and her team had wanted to get an x-ray of Vegeta's lower back and tail since it was quite a biological oddity to be found on a human. No other race in history had ever displayed such an unusual genetic trait. Bulma and the others were unsure if all Saiyans had had this unique feature, or if Vegeta's tail was some sort rare of mutation. They certainly hadn't expected to him to have one when they transported him to their time.

To date, no archeologists had managed to unearth any Saiyan skeletal remains, creating yet another mystery about the already elusive race. Yamcha had suggested that perhaps Saiyans burned the bodies of their dead in some religious rite instead of burying them. Whatever the case, finding a human with a tail was something worth investigating.

Vegeta was becoming increasingly irritated with the female. He had no clue what an 'x-ray' was, but he could sense the unstable energy radiating from the machine the female was trying to make him lay down under. There was no way that he was letting that _thing_ do anything to him. His instincts were telling him that the energy he felt was unstable and dangerous, and he was going to listen to them. He snarled as the female approached him again.

Bulma was growing more and more frustrated as she tried to maneuver Vegeta on to the spot where she needed him to be for the x-ray. It wasn't working real well. He was incredibly strong, so overpowering him was out of the question, and coaxing him into doing what she wanted wasn't working either. Still, Bulma had never been one for giving up. Once again, she patiently tried to push him back onto the table. Vegeta growled dangerously and smacked her hand away from him. Still, she persisted.

Vegeta hissed in mounting anger, this female was going to get an unpleasant surprise if she didn't stop pestering him. He had allowed her to touch his person a few times in the past, but that didn't mean that now she was welcome to touch him anytime she wanted to. He snapped savagely at her approaching hand, narrowly missing it.

Crouching down on all fours, Vegeta's body coiled tensely, like a tightly wound spring waiting to be released. He wanted to get away from here, away from the source of his unease and this feeling of danger. But mostly, right now, he just wanted her to back off. The strange energy he was sensing and the unfamiliar device in the room was making him restless. His instincts were warning him that he was in danger and needed to flee. But, he had nowhere to run to. He could feel the strong energy field surrounding the room and he knew he couldn't break through it.

The woman's constant urgings, pressuring him towards the cause of his alarm, were wearing on his already waning nerves. Was she trying to trap him? Breathing faster, he backed as far away from her as he could. His senses were going crazy and his mind was racing frantically. Vegeta was born and raised to be a hunter, but right now he felt unnervingly like prey. What worried him most at the moment was that he didn't know what or who was hunting him. He glared at the blue haired female suspiciously. He could feel his control beginning to slip as his anxiety levels rose higher. He watched the woman through half lidded eyes and growled threateningly. Unfortunately, the woman either couldn't understand his warning or refused to heed it because she continued to approach him.

Reacting like a cornered animal, Vegeta's survival instincts took over, pushing his conscious and rational mind into the background. He unleashed a feral howl of rage and tackled Bulma to the ground. Pinning her hands to the floor with one hand, his other hand snaked around to the back of her neck and grabbed a fistful of cerulean locks, jerking her head painfully. He held her body down firmly in his vice like grip while straddling her waist. His eyes burned like smoldering coals as he looked down at her struggling form. His instincts said to kill her, she was the source of his trouble. She was the source of the panic that was slowly creeping into his mind.

'Just kill her, and all the fear will go away.' his thoughts seemed to whisper.

His tail was thrashing wildly behind him. Normally, Vegeta wasn't one to freak out easily, but things weren't normal. He had been fighting a growing sense of panic ever since the day he had first awoken in this strange room. It had been growing a little stronger each day, despite his efforts to push it away. Now, it had reached the point were even a small upset might tip the scales of reason. His eyes became cloudy as he tried to hold back the waves of anger and fear that threatened to overwhelm him. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears; sweat was running down his face in rivulets. Unwittingly, his grip tightened on Bulma as he fought with himself. The small, extremely frightened, female beneath him was all but forgotten as he raged an inner battle to regain his firm control. It was a battle he was loosing.

Vegeta's face had an animal light to it that Bulma had never seen before. Her mind was in chaos and her heart was pounding. She twisted and writhed in her attempt to break loose. Tears ran down her face as she cried and begged him to let go. He had one hand tangled tightly in her hair as he pulled her head upwards, sending pain shooting through her. The grip he had on her wrists tightened making her cry out once again for him to release her. Her mind raced, she needed to do something or she probably would die. How could she let this happen? How could Vegeta just snap on her like this?

Bulma looked up at Vegeta accusingly, but what she saw made her heart skip a beat. Suddenly, she stopped struggling.

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Just so we're clear, Bulma didn't stop struggling because she died or anything. She can breathe and stuff, Veggie isn't actually trying to kill her, yet... =.=

I'm not great at drama but I'm trying here people. -_-' I had to do the last chappy to satisfy my lighthearted side.

Remember, reviews = love; Love = happy VBR; Happy VBR = more chappies! :3

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IfLooksCouldKill: Update. Now. lol, I could have used monkeyshines. Its a real word.^^

Project Shadow: Thanks, happy to hear it.^^

-CelestialPurity-: Yeah, I needed some random bonding time. Can't go from, we brought a monkey man back from the past to I love you without a little filler eh? ^^ Thank you!

hopelessly_demented: In short, Vegeta can't leave the room or the time chamber will explode. But don't worry, he doesn't stay there forever. That's actually a big part of the story.

XxKuroyoxX: Yep, lol thanks hun. Humm, so when are you going to update? I still wanna see Veggie's tat. lol

The Better Side: Thank you. ^^ Hope you like this one too.

Rraz45: Thank you hun!

Nintendocat: Yamcha isn't a total jerk in this story actually. lol, Bulma and Yamcha aren't dating, but all will be explained before the grand finish. Thankies!

clueless788: lol, so true. Thank you!

LunarSinner: Thank you, glad you liked it. Hope this next one is to your liking as well. ^^

Hugs everyone!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Very briefly, to those of you who feel things are moving too slow: this is a story about two people **_**falling in love**_**, THAT'S THE FOCUS AND IT TAKES TIME! If you think the last few chapters were too similar, or are irritated that Vegeta still isn't speaking, there are reasons for these things. First, I want to show the two of them bonding, rather than just saying they met and now they're in love. The story would be over if I did that! Second, speech is a highly humanizing attribute. Therefore, I've held off on any dialogue for Vegeta because I wanted to stress his animalistic nature, as well as the gap between his culture and mindset in contrast to Bulma's.

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**

Bulma looked up at Vegeta accusingly, but what she saw made her heart skip a beat. Suddenly, she stopped struggling.

Vegeta had his eyes squeezed shut and his jaw was clenched forcefully. It felt hard to breathe, like a band was slowly tightening around his chest. He couldn't gather his thoughts, everything inside of his mind was in a frenzied state. He felt confused, and he _hated_ it.

'_A true warrior does not loose control no matter what! Where is your Saiyan pride? Quit behaving like a foolish brat!'_ Vegeta could here his father's voice echoing in his head, it wasn't helping him. Why couldn't that old man ever leave him alone? Vegeta felt his anger boiling over inside him again as he continued to crush Bulma beneath him.

He had been stuck in this same, stupid, little, white room for weeks now, which was an infuriating enough fact in its own right. But, what unnerved him the most, was that he could no longer sense his fellow Saiyans. At first, he had thought that the strange force field surrounding the room, and forcing him to stay there, was some how responsible for this. He told himself that it must have been interfering with his abilities to sense the other Saiyan's energy, so he had attempted to reach them mentally instead. Normally, each Saiyan could sense the presence of other Saiyans through a mental link that they all shared, regardless of how much distance separated them. For hours, Vegeta would sit and meditate, trying to reach one, anyone. All he found was silence. He could feel a huge gapping void inside of him created by his brethren's absence. It was an ugly empty feeling he couldn't stand. As each day passed without any results, Vegeta found himself being pushed inescapably towards a most terrifying conclusion.

His people were gone, and he was completely alone.

And, that petrified Vegeta.

Bulma stared up at Vegeta with a mixture of fear, fascination, and concern coursing through her. She could feel the muscles in his hands and arms trembling as he gripped her painfully. His breath was coming in ragged gasps, his sides and chest heaving rapidly. Sweat covered his body in a slick sheen and his skin looked flushed. In all honesty, Vegeta appeared to be in more distress than she was.

'What the heck is wrong with _him_?' she wondered, irritated. Nobody was pinning Vegeta to the ground and scaring the daylights out of him! What did he have to get all worked up about? Nevertheless, Vegeta looked totally unnerved at the moment, almost like he was having a panic attack. It was just a x-ray though. What was there to be anxious about?

Looking at Vegeta, Bulma's rational, scientific, side began to takeover and calm her down. Somehow, the image of Vegeta freaking out was actually forcing her ability to focus to improve somewhat, as odd and unlikely as that sounded. Looking at his face, Bulma watched in disbelief as a jumble of emotions played across the Saiyan's features. Fear, desperation, suspicion, and anger, definitely lots of anger. But, these emotions didn't seem to be directed at her. Did he even realize she was there? Vegeta seemed to have withdrawn mentally into some other place.

'What's going on with you, Vegeta?' she wondered. Her mind quickly played back over the events that had just happened. She had known he was upset and that he seemed to dislike the x-ray for some reason she couldn't understand. But, she didn't think he would overreact like this just because of that. There had to be something more going on.

She had been getting pretty agitated when Vegeta wouldn't cooperate with her, had he picked up on that and reacted to it? Yamcha and Ramassen had advised her not to loose her cool around Vegeta for fear of him attacking her.

Randomly, her mind noted that Malone was screaming something about 'keeping calm' and 'going to get help' over the intercom, but she didn't pay him any attention. Vegeta was her only focus at the moment.

She would understand his reaction if she had done something to hurt him, but she hadn't. Well, granted, there was a small amount of radiation that he would be exposed to from the x-ray, but it wasn't really that big of a deal and Vegeta couldn't possibly know about…

The image of her shield belt suddenly flashed through Bulma's mind. Vegeta wasn't supposed to know about that either.

Bulma's eyes widened and her stomach twisted violently in apprehension as her mind scrambled to piece everything together. Maybe, Vegeta could sense energy somehow, that would explain how he knew about her belt. And if that was the case, then, the x-ray…

Oh, crap.

The presence of a highly unstable energy source probably would make it seem like she was trying to hurt him. Bulma swallowed, if she were going to do something to calm him down, now was the only chance she was likely to have.

Maybe if she relaxed, she could…

"Vegeta." she said softly. With an awkward and painful twist of her arm, Bulma managed to wrench one of her hands, now slick with sweat, free from the Saiyan's grasp. 'Yeah,' she thought, 'he's really not with it if I can get my hand loose that easy.'

"Vegeta?" she tried to keep her voice calm and steady as she reached up and lightly touched his face.

"Can you here me? Vegeta? Calm down, it's all right now." she told him gently as she rested her hand against his cheek, lightly stroking it.

Vegeta's eye's snapped open and glared down at her, fury burning in his dark orbs. Snarling, he snapped viciously at her hand, tearing open the side of her palm. Bulma yelped as she jerked her hand back. That creep really bit her! She wrenched violently in his grasp.

Faster than Bulma could blink, Vegeta's hand was latched around her neck. He screamed something in his own language at her repeatedly and barred his teeth, making him look rather beast like. His tail was banging fiercely against the chamber's floor, leaving long cracks in it.

"Vegeta!" Bulma choked painfully. This wasn't going the way she had hoped it would. "Vegeta stop!"

Her mind started reeling desperately as she felt his strong hand slowly stealing away her ability to breathe. Out of ideas, Bulma gathered all of her remaining energy and aimed her fist for the side of his face. But somewhere along the line, her hand flew open, causing a loud smacking sound as she connected with his heated skin. She looked up in horror at the bright red handprint burning on his cheek. Vegeta's head had barely even moved.

'Well, that's it,' she thought. 'I'm so going to die now. He'll kill me for sure.'

Vegeta blinked in a startled fashion and looked down at her with surprise in his eyes. Bulma was confused, but relieved as he abruptly withdrew his hand from her neck. Tentatively, he reached up with his tail and lightly touched the spot where she had struck him. His look changed to thoughtful as he stroked his cheek with his tail.

Vegeta found that the sharp stinging pain in his cheek suddenly shattered the cloudy fog of panic enveloping his brain and choking his thoughts. The little wench had truly had the audacity to strike him. He should have been enraged by her actions, but instead he found them almost amusing. She was so weak it was laughable, yet she was so spirited at the same time.

'That's right, she is weak.' he though and smirked. And that meant, if he didn't want to take part in her ridiculous antics, he wouldn't. How could he have let her rile him up so? Foolishness, all of it, he snorted. His tail swayed lightly behind him in response to his improved mood.

He would take care this whole mess easily enough. Standing, Vegeta picked up the nearest chair and threw it at the x-ray machine. Forming a ki blast in his hand, he proceeded to blow the whole thing into oblivion. He then turned his back to the bug-eyed stammering female. He was a Saiyan warrior, he had no need to answer to or appease _her. _When she continued to gape at him, Vegeta's rolled his eyes and wrapped his tail around her waist, using it to lightly toss her across the room. Bulma crashed on to the bed in a dazed state. He didn't really want to hurt her, he decided. She was the only decent company he had, but this female had taken too many liberties with him and needed to be reminded of her place.

A moment after she landed, Bulma was on her feet and sputtering with rage.

"You can't just… I mean… and then …you really…wait… What just-? ARRGGAHH!" she screamed. "You freak! What the heck was that about?" She continued to yell at him till her emotions, and the realization that she had nearly died, finally caught up with her. Gradually, her shouting gave way to sobbing and she collapsed back on to the bed.

Vegeta just stared at her quietly while she ranted at him. He hadn't killed her, so what was the big deal? She should be thanking him for not snapping her frail little body like a twig. Then he saw the tears forming in her eyes and washing down her cheeks. An unpleasant feeling began to stir in his stomach. He tried to ignore it and push it away. When she fell back onto his bed, her small frame shaking from her blubbering, his shoulders sagged in defeat. He supposed this was sort of his fault, in some small way. He walked over to the sink for a moment and then cautiously approached the female.

Bulma felt the bed move and looked up to find Vegeta offering her a cool wash cloth. Confusion filled her face as she simply sat and looked at him. An annoyed look passed over Vegeta's features when she didn't move. Gently, he cupped her chin with one hand, lightly applying the cloth to her face and then to the red ring around her throat.

Bulma sniffled a bit but felt better as he tended to her. She looked at him, pouting slightly. "I guess this is as close to an apology as you're going to come, huh? Typical man." she huffed. "I'll forgive this time, but you're not getting anymore cookies for a long time buster!"

Now it was Vegeta's turn to pout. His tail drooped at her threat to take away his favorite treat. Bulma giggled, Vegeta was like a little kid in some ways. She soon got so caught up in her thoughts, she didn't even realize that the two of them were sitting there with Vegeta's hand holding a small cloth around her throat. But when Yamcha and Ramassen came bursting into the chamber armed with tranquilizer guns, they sure noticed.

Thinking Bulma was in danger, both men zeroed in on the Saiyan. Ramassen's gun went off first, burying a dart deep into Vegeta's skin. With a startled roar, Vegeta sprang to his feet and turned on the two men. Then Yamcha fired, imbedding another dart into Vegeta's person. Angered, the Saiyan made it about halfway across the room before his eyes rolled up in his head and he blacked out. Bulma gave a cry of alarm as he crashed to the floor, startling Yamcha and Ramassen.

"Vegeta! Vegeta wake up!" she shook him frantically, then she glared up at the two baffled men standing over her. "What the hell did you do?" she hissed.

Both men gulped simultaneously.

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Sorry I didn't write a response to each of your reviews, I'm really dragging today. : ( But I truly do appreciate them, you guys keep me going and I loves you for it! Hugs to:

**Darkangl28 ^.^  
**

**IfLooksCouldKill (Huggles! You rock!)**

**clueless788 ^w^  
**

**-CelestialPurity- (Thankies!)  
**

**The Better Side ^-^**

**Rraz45 ;p**

**Lunar Sinner :3**

**Oleandera :)  
**

**Project Shadow XD  
**

**Nesradana ;p  
**

**XxKuroyoxX (You are insanely fun! Hugs)**

**LeParfaitAmour (Loves you hun!)**

**sunshine1590 :D  
**

**Nintendocat X3  
**

**You guys are all awesome!**

**Hope you like the chappy, cause it'll have to hold you over until I update my other fics. My readers threaten to do scary things when I make the wait too long for chappies. *gulps* But the next update on this should come pretty fast after I update Tempas Terror and The Replacement. Man, I have a lot of typing to do this week, uck…**

**Later and loves you all! Thanks!**

**VBR~**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

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"Vegeta! Vegeta wake up!" Bulma shook him frantically, then she glared up at the two baffled men standing over her. "What the hell did you do?" she hissed.

Both men gulped simultaneously.

Bulma rounded on them, an aura of blue electricity seemingly enveloping her as her eyes filled with fire. The two men instinctively took a few steps back. They had rushed into the time chamber with the goal of saving their female colleague's life, but now they felt like they were the ones in danger. Fury filled Bulma's countenance as she stalked towards the bewildered men. Yamcha's eyes widened as she reached up and grabbed his coat collar.

"Explain now." she demanded, glaring at him.

Yamcha gulped and little drops of sweat began to form on his brow. "W-well, we thought you were in danger. Ramassen and I were in my office when Malone came running in. He was in hysterics and yelling about how Vegeta was trying to kill you, so we came to help." Actually, it had taken them a few minutes to get the panic-stricken Malone calmed down enough to tell them what was wrong. When he had first burst into the room, they hadn't been able to make heads or tails of the man's frantic babbling and gesturing.

"So you two thought I was in mortal danger and came to rescue me, huh?" Bulma raised an eyebrow as she released Yamcha and put her hands on her hips. The two men nodded eagerly in response.

"But, you still had the time to put a shield belt on first, I see." She spat and pointed to the devices around their waists. "Did you have to stop to load the guns first, too?"

"Malone loaded the tranquilizer guns while we got the belts and put them on." Ramassen coughed. Yamcha blushed and looked at her helplessly. How were they supposed to help her if Vegeta attacked them the second they stepped into the room? Without the shields, the Saiyan could kill them in seconds, and then Bulma would have been on her own again.

"Well then, it's a good thing I wasn't dying in here. I would have been dead and torn to shreds by the time you two knights in shining armor showed up." Bulma snorted and turned back to the unconscious Saiyan. "Help me get Vegeta up on the bed you two." Soon they had him laid out comfortably on the chamber's small bed.

"Did you have to shoot him twice?" Bulma growled. The tranquilizer darts were designed to deliver a large dose of a fast acting sedative, causing the target to lose consciousness within just a few seconds, usually.

"The first one didn't seem to be working." Yamcha defended.

"Was it an old load?" Bulma frowned, perplexed. The sedative used in the darts was a special formula made right there at the lab. It was used because it was highly effective, yet was safer than most other drugs and had few unwanted side effects. The only catch was, its molecular structure decomposed quickly when exposed to oxygen and the darts, unfortunately, were not airtight. Therefore, each dart had to be loaded shortly before use. If a dart was loaded but not used until a few days later, the sedative was no longer effective.

"No." Yamch shook his head. "Malone loaded both shots directly before we came in here. Maybe Vegeta just has a strong resistance to it."

"That doesn't make any sense." Bulma bit her lip, puzzled.

"Don't worry, babe. Vegeta will be fine when he wakes up." Yamcha patted her back reassuringly. She smiled weakly back at him.

"Well at least now we can get that x-ray while he's out." Yamcha laughed.

"No, we can't." Bulma frowned.

"Why not?"

"Because Vegeta-" Bulma stopped. They couldn't take an x-ray because Vegeta had blown the machine up, she blinked. What the hell? That was impossible, people couldn't just blow things up. She stared down at the Saiyan as the scene from earlier flashed through her mind. A bright beam of light had shot out of Vegeta's hand and vaporized the whole device. No human could do that, so how did Vegeta do it? Come to think of it, why was Vegeta able to sense energy? She felt sure he could, but she had never heard of any other people being able to do things like that. She looked back up at Yamcha at a loss for words. She couldn't just tell him what had happened, he'd never believe it. Shoot, even she didn't believe it. Yamcha waited curiously for her to speak, but Bulma's mind was a complete blank. Fortunately for her, she was saved from answering by Ramassen's voice booming at them over the intercom.

"You two need to come in here, we have a problem." he yelled.

Quickly, Bulma and Yamcha scurried out of the chamber. Malone and Ramassen were waiting for them.

"What's wrong?" Yamcha asked, looking at them expectantly.

Ramassen directed his threatening gaze at Malone. "Well? Out with it! Tell them what you just told me." he snapped.

Malone gulped and mopped his brow with the edge of his sleeve.

"Well, you see, … I… um" he cleared his throat repeatedly while fiddling with his glasses, "I may have made a mistake."

"What kind of mistake?" Bulma asked suspiciously when Malone refused to meet her gaze.

"Um, I' may have, erm… what I mean to say is… it is possible that I may, perhaps, unwittingly," he babbled while staring at the floor, "accidentally loaded one of the guns incorrectly."

The three just stared at him, waiting for him to explain.

"Well, I… when I saw Vegeta attacking you, I panicked. I didn't know what to do, so I ran and got you two." he gestured to Yamcha and Ramassen. "Then, Ramassen told me to load the guns while they found some shield belts." Malone licked his lips nervously.

"You have to understand, I don't handle pressure well. I couldn't hardly think and everyone was yelling." he paused and looked at them pleadingly. Seeing that he wasn't about to get any sympathy out of his audience, Malone continued his story. "I was worried about Bulma and my hands were shaking terribly. And I… well I think I may have used the wrong vial to load one of the darts."

"Oh really?" Bulma asked tightlipped. "So what vial do you think you used?"

"T-that's the problem, I don't know. Plus, I accidentally knocked over the table I was using and now I can't find the empty vial to check the label." Malone looked at her miserably.

"Let me get this straight, you're telling me that you guys just loaded a dart with a whole vial of some random chemical and shot Vegeta with it?" Bulma screamed. Her hands clenched at her sides as she grabbed Malone and hauled the terrified man to his feet. Her face hovering just inches away from his, she hissed venomously at him, "Now, you listen to me very carefully. You and Ramassen are going to take this lab apart piece by piece until you find that vial, and you _will _find it." She released her hold on him and Malone slumped to the floor. Then she turned to the two other men.

"Yamcha, you're going to start running blood tests on Vegeta. I'll stay with him and monitor his vitals. Also, we'll need to figure out some kind of antidote to counteract whatever poison you buffoons shot him with." Bulma glared at them.

"But, we can't administer any antidote until we know what was in the vial Malone used." Yamcha pointed out.

"Well, at least if the Saiyan dies then we can dissect him." Ramassen smirked, rubbing his hands together. His cold green eyes held a strange, almost reptilian, glint.

Bulma's eyes narrowed as she stalked over towards the door. Turing around, she addressed all three of them coldly.

"I promise you on my honor as a scientist that if Vegeta dies, then by morning you three will no longer be male. Now, I suggest you get busy." Then she walked back to the time chamber.

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Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for all the support guys. ^^ It really keeps me going. Now I'm off to write ch 12 which should be up in a day or two. Hugs everyone!

VBR~

clueless788: Cute? Oo Well ok. Thank you!

Infinite Pen: OH MY GOSH! Thank you so much for the extremely thoughtful review! Your's was one of the best and most helpful reviews I've ever received. I got some great pointers from your comments and you made me really want to get back to writing. Hum, well without giving spoilers, Vegeta is not a caveman in this fic. He's from a different culture, but not necessarily a primitive one. Thanks you so much for the helpful input. It will definitely aid me as I continue with this story. For the most part, I had this story written before I even began posting it. I have been adding to it as I type each chapter, though, in order to help make the story line a little meatier and satisfying.

IfLooksCouldKill: Well, you'll see. hope you enjoy.

-CelestialPurity-: Much more so now. Bulma is not one to be trifled with.

The Better Side: Ok, you can be mad at them now. I like Saiyans when their depicted in a more primal animal like manner. lol, maybe I'm the one with Tarzan fantasies.

Darkangl28: There, the wait wasn't too long. ohh there is possibilities with that isn't there? XD

Project Shadow: Thank you. ^w^

XxKuroyoxX: lol, your reviews are funny. ^^ Glad you like your pic. It was no problem. Now update!

buenachica88: Thank you very much. Uh, define "together."

Rraz45: Thank you. Actually, I don't think there's any Yamcha bashing in this fic. Wow, that's kind weird for me. Oo

Nintendocat: Thank you! Yeah, if only she knew what to do with it, lol. Bulma's got a lot to piece together about Veggie. Hope you like the update.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

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Two stressful hours had passed for Bulma. Ramassen and Malone had torn the lab apart and found not one, but about _twenty _different empty vials scattered throughout the area. Bulma swore she was going draw and quarter their cleaning staff. While a few of the vials were obviously too old to be the one they were looking for, there were still too many possibly candidates. So now, they were proceeding by process of elimination. They had checked off a few of the possible toxins simply by the fact that Vegeta was still alive. This fact wasn't exactly comforting to Bulma, though.

She stared at the reports in her hands. She had run every test she could think of on Vegeta. Currently, she was looking at the readouts of his electrocardiogram, which had revealed a number of distinct abnormalities with his heart but nothing conclusive.

Next she picked up the SMA 20 blood test that Yamcha had just given her. It revealed that Vegeta had a potassium level of 7. That was very high. The top normal for a person was usually 5. Bulma weighed the two results together in her mind for a moment before she paged Yamcha on the intercom.

"Hey Yamcha?"

"Yeah, babe?" his voice floated back to her.

"Do you think it could be digitalis toxicity?" she asked him.

"Hum, we did find a vial labeled liquid digoxin." Yamcha frowned as he turned the possibility over in his mind. "Digoxin is used as a heart medicine isn't it? It would explain his electrocardiogram results."

The only way to really be sure would be to do anther blood test and check Vegeta's digoxin levels. Yamcha quickly told Bulma he'd run another test and set about making good on his word.

Bulma sat down next to Vegeta on the bed and gently ran her finger through his hair. His face looked pale and his breathing was shallow. Bulma bit her lip as her eyes brimmed with tears and her vision blurred. She felt her breath hitch slightly as Vegeta moaned in his sleep. Even though Vegeta could be a pain in the neck at times and make her feel like she wanted to beat his head in with her clipboard, she didn't want him to die. She liked coming to the lab everyday and spending her time in the time chamber with the surly Saiyan. Vegeta had away of both infuriating and amusing her with his antics.

"As pathetic as it sound, you're the only friend I have right now, other than Yamcha and he's not really around much these days." she said softly as she stroked his face. She sighed in disgust. Was her life really so pathetic that her friend's were limited to her ex-boyfriend and her experiment? She shook her head. She worked way too much.

Yamcha and her had dated for awhile a few years ago, but it had been a complete disaster. After a few short rocky months of dating and fighting it had become apparent to both of them that, while they were great together as friends, they made a terrible couple. The relationship had ended amicably on both sides and they had returned to being friends. But outside of Yamcha, Bulma really didn't have any friends. Her life revolved around work, she realized sadly. Plus now, Yamcha had found a new girlfriend, so he was usually busy after work. She was a friendly young girl and Bulma truly liked her. The couple had invited her to go out with them a few times, but Bulma had found the set up to be a bit awkward so she declined most of the time.

Which left her with Vegeta, she looked down at his anguished features. He kept tossing and turning as he slept. Occasionally, she would hear him mumble something in what she assumed was Saiyan. A feeling of guilt and fear began to claw at her heart as she watched him. What on earth had possessed her to make her believe it was okay for them to rip someone from their home and bring them here? She felt shame washing over her, making her want to pull a blanket over her head and cry. If Vegeta died now, she told herself, she would be just as much to blame as Ramassen, Malone and Yamcha were. Maybe even more so, since she had built the time chamber. She heard Vegeta whimper softly in his sleep and felt another sharp pang of guilt twist in her heart.

"I'm so sorry Vegeta." she whispered and lightly squeezed his hand. His skin felt sticky and damp with perspiration. Getting up, she found a clean washcloth and wet it. Coming back, she carefully wiped his face off and the laid it across his brow.

"Please be okay." she whispered. Then, leaning down, she softly kissed his cheek.

A little while later, Bulma was sitting in a chair, re-reading her reports, when she heard Yamcha's voice over the intercom.

"Looks like you were right, babe. I'll tell Ramassen to prepare some FAB for you to administer to him."

"Tell him to hurry!" Bulma pleaded as Yamcha rang off.

"FAB." she mumbled. It stood for fragments of antigen binding. It was an antibody they derived from sheep and was used to treat digitalis toxicity. When it was administered in time, FAB was capable of neutralizing digoxin. She looked apprehensively at the clock. It was hard to say how long a drug like digoxin would take to work. There was all kinds of variables, a person's age, weight, metabolism… they all played a part.

A minute later, Ramassen came running in and gave her the FAB. Bulma quickly gave it to Vegeta and then sat back in relief.

"Now, what?" Ramassen asked.

"Now, we wait. The sedative from the other gun won't wear off for a few hours yet, so we'll have to wait until then to know for sure if he's going to be okay." Bulma told him as she followed him out of the chamber to tell the others what was going on. Since it was growing late, she offered to stay with Vegeta while they headed home. Malone and Ramassen quickly jetted out of the lab, afraid she might withdraw her offer if they didn't act quick enough.

Yamcha stuck around for another hour before he too finally headed home. After saying goodbye, Bulma found a spare blanket, and settled into a chair next to Vegeta's bed. She smiled as she noted his tail had worked its way out from under the covers and was lying at his side. Reaching out, she lightly caressed the baby soft fur. To her surprise, it followed the movement of her hand, as if trying to cling to her fingers. A deep rumbling sound came from the sleeping Vegeta and his lips twitched in a small smile. Bulma tried to stifle a giggle, it sounded like he was purring. Idly, she continued to stroke his tail until she finally fell fast asleep.

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Bulma sifted slightly in her chair as she woke up. Why was she sleeping in a chair? Oh right.

Time chamber.

Digoxin.

Vegeta.

She felt a gentle gust of warm air wash over her face, causing her to open her eyes. An intense black gaze greeted her. Vegeta's face was hovering only inches from her own. The Saiyan was crouched on the bed, leaning over her chair. He frowned and gazed at her questioningly as the end of his tail waved thoughtfully back and forth behind him.

"V-vegeta?" she whispered hoarsely, her eyes widening. The Saiyan quirked an eyebrow at her question. Who else would he be? Foolish female.

Happiness overwhelming her, Bulma leapt from her chair and threw her arms around the startled Saiyan, enveloping him in a tight embrace.

"You're okay!" Tears spilled down her face as she sobbed into his shoulder.

Vegeta blinked in confusion at the female's strange theatrics, his tail halting in midair. He had awoken, feeling dazed and a little nauseous, to find the little blue haired woman asleep at his bedside and his tail wrapped tightly around her wrist. He was glad she was asleep, it would've been very embarrassing if she knew his tail was there. The two men who had attacked him earlier were nowhere to be found, much to his annoyance. The next time he saw them, they wouldn't be walking away, he growled as his tail thumped angrily against the mattress. He looked down at the female clinging to him. Why was she crying? He wondered if the men had attacked her as well, feeling anger well up within him at the thought.

Shaking his head to clear his jumbled thoughts, Vegeta tried to decide what to do with the sniveling Bulma. His first inclination was to push her off him, mostly because she was loud and was getting him all wet. But, somehow he didn't really want to just shove her away. It was then that he realized that his traitorous tail had already wound itself around her waist, the tip of it rubbing her back comfortingly. He glared at the treacherous fur covered appendage and then sighed. One day, he would learn to control it completely. For now, he turned his attention back to Bulma.

Vegeta brushed his nose against the skin by the angle of her jaw. He could smell the scent of anxiety and fear coming from her. This confused him, since she clearly wasn't scared of him, why was she frightened? She hadn't been afraid for him, had she? No, that was ridiculous. But, still. Vegeta growled to himself, he didn't like her being afraid, though he wasn't really sure why it bothered him.

Finally, after a moment or two of hesitation, he quietly slipped one arm around her waist and pulled her more securely into his lap. She curled up in his arms like a trembling child, still burying her face in his shoulder. He rested his chin on the top of her head and wound his other hand gently in her soft tresses, cradling her against him. Instinctively, Bulma cuddled deeper into his arms. Vegeta breathed in her delicate scent, he could tell she was calming down now. His tail tightened happily around her at this realization. After a while, Bulma stopped shaking and looked down at his tail. Absently, she reached down and ran her finger down its length. Another low reverberating sound came from deep in Vegeta's chest. Bulma grinned to herself, he really did purr. Then, she felt him stiffen and looked up at him.

A light blush spread across Vegeta's cheeks. He couldn't believe this female would be so forward that she would pet his tail like that. But then again, she was sitting in his lap. His blush darkened as he felt her pressed warmly against him. Roughly, he pushed his nose deep into her hair and drank in her scent. She still smelt like wild flowers. Bulma burrowed deeper into him and chuckled softly in response; Vegeta smirked to himself. He kind of liked how she felt pushed up against him.

Brushing his lips against the side of her face, Vegeta licked her skin softly. He could discern the light salty flavor of tears on her skin as he tasted her again. He felt something unfamiliar inside of him tighten, and looked at her uncertainly. Slowly, he leaned forward and nipped the end of her nose, his tail softly brushing against her cheek. Bulma giggled at the tickling sensation it made and sent him a quizzical look. She seemed to be considering something for a moment, and then she leaned in and gave him a return nip on the nose. Vegeta looked startled by her actions and his face flushed a bright pink, but Bulma just laughed.

"I give as good as I get, hun." she winked at him. Then she laid her head back down on his shoulder and let exhaustion overtake her. She fell back asleep, feeling far more content and safe in Vegeta's arms than she had felt anywhere in a long, long time.

Vegeta watched her for a while, trying hopelessly to make sense of her actions, and his own, before he too dropped his head in sleep.

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Ah, yes Veggie and Bulma. Sqeee! I just love those two. Anhwho, I hope you liked this chappy. =) More soon my lovelies!

Remember, Review=love; love=happy VBR; happy VBR=more chappies! YAY!

Thank you all very much! Hugs ^^

VBR~

Rraz45: Well, now you know! =)

Infinite Pen: lol, I couldn't resist the opportunity. Hope this chapter delivers! Thanks for understanding. Actually, I have really poor typing skills due to extensive nerve damage in my left hand. Makes me kinda clumsy and slow with the keyboard, lol. I'm glad you liked it. Heheh, I created Ramassen for the soul purpose of being a creep, glad it's working. =p Of course, B and Veggie can't get together too easily. I have a crisis planed for them, the ground work has already been laid. I just need to build their relationship first. Lol, yes I do know, and you're right. I went a totally different direction, just to shake things up a bit.

clueless788: lol. Oh, ok. I wasn't sure what you meant at first. XD Hope you like this chappy!

LeParfaitAmour: Yes. *nods sagely* I am insane. Pretty detailed explanation I think, no? =p thanks hun!

Nintendocat: hehehe, thanks. Hum, you never know. Yeah he's a creep. Just like I needed him to be. ^^ lol, yeah, things are starting to grow between them, not really romantic yet. But that will come soon enough. D

Darkangl28: This should be a good snack, considering it's a bit longer than usual, lol. Enjoy!

Project Shadow: Thank you! Hope you like the update!

Guivre: I felt it was fitting. =)


	13. Chapter 13

All of you who have had as awful and frustrating week as I have, here is something to take your mind off of it for a couple of minutes.

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BTW, I don't own Vegeta. =.=

...

...

....

I just want to lick him.

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Chapter 13

Time began to pass in a sort of pleasant haze for Bulma. Her days seemed to fly by with everything she did just swirling together in one big cloudy blur, and Vegeta was somehow always at the center of it. When she went to work, she spent all of her time in the chamber with him, coming in early and staying late. When she did go home, she found her thoughts were almost always centered on him. What Vegeta did today, how he acted, what he ate, what kind of mood he was in… it was like an obsession she couldn't control.

When she went to bed at night, Bulma found herself dreaming about Vegeta, but in a very different way than she normally thought about him, a more exciting way. It was in her dreams that her thoughts about Vegeta took on a shameless, carnal, twist. The whole time she was awake, she did her best to focus on Vegeta from a scientific standpoint, although she thought about him in a friendly context as well now. The Vegeta in her dreams, however, drove any thoughts of science and friendship far out of her mind. She awoke each morning with her heart pounding in a bed of sweaty and twisted sheets, feeling flushed and rather dirty. She never had dreams that were that intense before, often lingering in her mind throughout the day.

This morning was no different, she sighed as she crawled out of her damp crumpled bedding and headed towards the bathroom for a cold shower. Her hands trembled as she slipped off her nightgown and turned on the water. She had never dreamed about any other man like this before and it was a little unnerving. She felt ashamed and confused by all of this. She was embarrassed by the dreams themselves and also by the fact that she secretly enjoyed them. At the same time though, she didn't understand why she was having them.

Vegeta was a Saiyan, as far as her colleagues were concerned this meant he was little more than a slightly evolved beast. He certainly did act like an animal most of the time. However, his dark eyes seemed to hold an intelligent light when Bulma looked at him. She suspected that Vegeta was in reality far smarter than any of them had surmised.

Putting that aside though, Bulma frowned to herself, Vegeta was still a man from six thousand years in the past. There was no way anything could happen between them; it was simply impossible. She bit her lip and slammed her hand against the shower tiles in frustration. Tears were forming in her eyes and threatening to fall. What was wrong with her? It wasn't like she wanted anything to happen between Vegeta and her, did she? No, she told herself, it was just a bunch of dreams and nothing ever could or would happen between the two of them. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit back a frustrated scream. If that was true, then why did saying it cause her feel as though someone had just kicked her in the chest?

"I'm being stupid." she muttered. Bulma shook her head and forced herself to focus on getting ready for work.

Bulma's thoughts began to drift back to Vegeta on her drive to the lab. Despite his moodiness, Vegeta made a surprisingly good companion. He provided her with someone she could talk to and never repeated anything when she complained to him about other people. Of course, Vegeta didn't talk and really, whom would he tell if he did? But that wasn't the point, she told herself. He also was an attentive listener. Well, so he fell asleep sometimes while she was talking to him or sent her a glare that plainly said 'why won't you shut up?' but still. She smiled; it sure beat talking to her cat, or worse, her houseplant.

In the time they had spent together, Bulma had learned to interpret the looks, glares, and grunts that Vegeta gave her as clearly as if they were words. She also had found that his tail was helpful indicator of his mood, something that she found very amusing. But, what surprised her most was that Vegeta didn't seem to have complete control of it. It seemed to be highly sensitive and responded more to his subconscious than conscious mind. Often when Bulma was near to him, it would reach out and wrap itself around her waist or arm. She had thought that the whole thing was rather sweet, but Vegeta seemed mortified by it. As soon as he noticed, he would yank his tail back away from her and then refuse to look at her. It was hard to tell for sure, since he always turned away, but Bulma would swear Vegeta blushed whenever it happened.

Bulma had disconnected the camera in the time chamber after the incident with the tranquilizer darts. She didn't feel that she was in any danger and thought it would be better to just disconnect the monitor and avoid any more problems. Besides, she still hadn't told anyone about how Vegeta destroyed the x-ray machine. Until she could explain and understand it herself, Bulma didn't want the others to find out about Vegeta's strangely _unique_ blasting ability. She also hadn't told them that Vegeta could sense energy, in fact her reports were mostly blank these days.

While Bulma still felt she needed to know everything about Vegeta, she found herself becoming more and more reluctant to share information about him with the others. Something inside her warned her against telling them everything, and Ramessen's words about dissecting Vegeta kept coming back to her. The thought made her sick, that guy was really something else.

But, why did she feel such a strong desire to protect Vegeta from all of them? Shouldn't she be excited about this astounding scientific discovery? What she had already learned about Vegeta was amazing, and who knew what she would find out next. Scientists and governments everywhere would want to come and study Vegeta if they knew that he could sense energy unaided by machines and generate destructive energy beams at will. All the same, her conscience and her heart rebelled at the idea of letting them anywhere near her Saiyan.

Bulma blinked in surprise, since when was Vegeta hers? She sighed as she parked her car and headed for the lab. Things were getting too confusing these days.

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Thanks for reading, next chappy in a few days. This was just to show how Bulma's feelings for Vegeta are progressing. Our beloved Veggie will reappear in the next chapter. Remember:

Reviews

Love

Happy VBR

More Chappies!

Thanks!

VBR~

* * *

Takuma: Thank you, I'm glad you like it. This is a new genre for me, but it seems to be going well. =)

Rraz45: Thanks, enjoy the update.

IfLooksCouldKill: Yay! Yeah, I was on a roll and just kept going with it. The end was fun to write. I really never liked Yamcha until the Buu saga, but now I think he's an okay guy. I just didn't want him to be a jerk in this story. lol. Thank you very much for the encouraging review. lol, you help keep me going on this. Good thing since I have a short attention spa- Oh look! something shiny!

Karas98: I've gotten error messages a few times when I've tried to pull up ch 12 these last couple days. I haven't taken anything down so there must be a glitch with the cite. Hope everything works for you now. =S

Infinite Pen:Humm, that sounds nice. You made me hungry now lol. Hehe, no worries. I don't write tragedies (I want my happy ending dang it!), I firmly believe that the best part of fictional stories is that they give us the happy endings reality denies us. But that may be because I've always been a refuge reader and I don't want my refuge to be more depressing than real life. You'll see, it's not too many chappies away. ^^ Thanks for your thoughtful review, it made my day.

mooni21: *vbr tries to walk through doorway but can't because her ego is to inflated by all the nice reviewers* Thanks hun, I'm blushing now, really. Never fear! V/B will be together. =)

clueless788: Thankies =p hehe, I love tails.

XxKuroyoxX: It's ok, I forgive you. -.- Just update and I'll be happy. Yes, writers block stinks. XS I kill it by watching anime.

Darkangl28: woohoo! ^w^

Project Shadow: *does happy dance* it was a squeee chappy wasn't it? X3 thanks!

Lunar Sinner: thanks for your reviews! I hope you enjoy the update as well.

hopelessly_demented: Lol, you'll see in the next chapter, kay? =P

Nintendocat: lol, I didn't think of that actually. Digitalis poisoning is common in old mysteries (which I am a huge fan of) so I just thought it would be a fun twist. Although, in mysteries it's usually admiistered by putting foxglove leaves in the persons salad. (I think it was foxglove :S)Yeah, I didn't want Yamcha to be jerk in here or have to deal with Bulma already being in a relationship, I'd rather have it be pure b/v. XD Oh, thanks for catching my typo, I went back and fixed it. lol, clumbsey fingers.


	14. Chapter 14

I don't own Veggie, I just want to lick him.

Chapter 14

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Even though Bulma wasn't reporting much data on Vegeta these days, that didn't mean that she wasn't collecting any. Recently, she had begun bringing in a wide variety of objects to show Vegeta. Cameras, CD's, children's toys, different articles of clothing, and even various kinds of food for him to examine and explore. She introduced him to music and movies as well.

Vegeta would briefly inspect each new item she brought him before tossing it back at her. He failed to express interest in any of them. Bulma was amazed when he didn't even look twice at the television. She had been expecting him be freaked out by something so unfamiliar, or at least curious about it. Instead though, Vegeta disregarded it completely. The only time she had really got much of a response out of him was when she brought in some kid's toys and gave them to him. Vegeta had looked _distinctly_ offended. Bulma had no idea how he knew they were for children, but she was growing accustomed to Vegeta surprising her.

Today, Bulma walked into the time chamber with an armload of books and magazines accompanying her. She had brought in all kinds of printed material, except children's books. After the cold shoulder she had gotten for giving him kid's toys, she was playing it safe. Selecting a few random books, Bulma walked over to the bed and plopped herself down. After finding a comfortable position, she called Vegeta over to sit with her.

Vegeta scowled at the female as she tried to coax him into joining her. Although he had grown to like her presence somewhat, since he found her to be a decent companion, he was reluctant to join her on his bed. Back in his home, individuals did not socialize in one another's sleeping quarters. Even though Vegeta's living and sleeping quarters were in the same room at the moment, he felt that his bed should be off limits. In his culture only males and females that were mated to each other would sit together in such a manner. Of course, Vegeta knew this female wasn't a Saiyan and so she wasn't familiar with his culture, thus rendering his former point moot.

However, that wasn't the only reason Vegeta didn't like the woman being on his bed. The problem was that she got her scent all over it. It had never really bothered him until recently, but now he couldn't tolerate having her aroma invade his senses at night. The worst part, though, was how her fragrance would blend with his own familiar scent, creating an essence that would make his mouth water at the slightest whiff. Her sweet fragrance would linger on his coverings long into the night, making sleeping impossible as he tossed and turned. If by chance he did fall asleep though…

Vegeta reddened as he recalled a few dreams that he had had about the blue haired vixen. Her soft body entangled with his, sparkling impassioned blue eyes gazing heatedly into his onyx orbs, and all the while he could smell the aroma of wildflowers around him. His tail flipped wildly through the air behind him as he tried to push the images out of his mind.

But then again, why be bothered by them? Vegeta paused for a moment, his tail halting abruptly. Although he was fully matured, he didn't have a mate yet. Also, Vegeta had met most of the female Saiyans in his pack before and he wasn't strongly attracted to any of them. In other words, he was free and the female appeared to be as well, since she didn't bear the scent or mark of any male as far as Vegeta could tell.

Vegeta gazed thoughtfully back over at the woman on his bed. She wasn't a Saiyan and she wasn't very strong, he frowned. But on the other hand, she was very beautiful and seemed rather intelligent. His eyes wandered over her body hungrily, her cerulean locks looked seductively exotic and her ocean-like eyes were scintillating to his senses. He knew her smooth milky skin was sweet to taste, and he had never breathed in a more delicious scent than hers. Plus, she had an exciting and fiery spirit that could rival any Saiyan's. Vegeta frowned as his tail slowly rubbed his cheek. The woman wouldn't make a bad mate, he realized in surprise. After all, Kakkarott had taken a non-Saiyan mate and things had worked out well enough. Not to mention the clown's whelp, Gohan, was surprisingly strong for his age, so mixing blood didn't seem to weaken offspring in any noticeable way.

The female called him over to sit by her again, but instead Vegeta closed his eyes and imagined her calling him over to her in a slightly different, more lustful, tone. He opened his eyes again and smirked. Oh yeah, he could get used to hearing that everyday. Vegeta licked his lips as his tail thumped aggressively against the floor. But then, he growled in frustration, what was he thinking? He was alone, cut off from his home and unsure if he would ever be able to return to his people. This was no time to be thinking about taking a mate. Shoving the whole matter to the back of his mind, Vegeta finally went and sat down next to Bulma.

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Just a quick chappy, the next one will pick up immediately after this one left off. I would have put the two of them together but I think the next section will be a bit longer so this was a good stopping point. I hope to have 15 up on or by Saturday. Thanks for sticking with me folks! Please Review!

* * *

clueless788: Thankies, updates should come really fast. I want to finish this story in the next week.

oleandera: lol, now that's a hitch isn't it? If I told you, then you wouldn't need to read the story. He won't be there forever. lol X3

Infinite Pen: Thank you, lol. Yes Veggie tastes yummy. XD Vegeta's take on Bulma will make more sense after the next chapter when his history and the Saiyans are explained. I'm pushing to get this done before school gets too hectic, plus I want to get back to focusing on the replacement since I love writing that story the most.

Project Shadow: Thanks, lol it wouldn't have helped me much.

mooni21: I loves Saiyans tails, I wish they had all kept them in the series. lol, yes. -.- It's his lovely item!XP Vegeta's attraction to B has a more primal base than her attraction to him does in this fic. The concept of deep genuine love comes in to play closer to the end of the story and from Bulma first.

Nintendocat: Sqeee! Agatha Christie is my fave mystery writer! I have dozens of her stories on my shelves. LONG LIVE THE QUEEN OF CRIME! I like Poirot and his giant mustaches and Miss Marple and her village parallels too. Tommy and Tupence are my favorite. XD lol, the conflict in this story has more to do with the circumstance in which b/v fall in love rather than inner conflicts and pride. I mean, Vegeta's trapped in a little white room! :S

Rraz45: lol, yeah how about that? ;p humm, no spoilers! Muhahahaha! Hope this is soon enough!

IfLooksCouldKill: Yay! glad you liked it. the next will be up really soon.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15, part 1

Bulma smiled as Vegeta finally took a seat next to her. Well, he wasn't right next to her, there was a good two feet in between them. His tail began to weave its way across the bed to her when Vegeta suddenly snatched it back, holding it securely in his hands. Bulma giggled as Vegeta growled softly at his wayward tail, causing a pink tinge to flash across his cheeks.

Turning her attention back to the task at hand, Bulma began prattling on to Vegeta as she showed him the books she brought with. He flipped through a couple, glanced at an occasional picture, and then gave her a bored look. Deciding to try a new approach, Bulma picked one up and opened it.

"Look, they have stories in them, Vegeta." she smiled.

Vegeta paused and gave her a perplexed look. What did she mean they had stories _in_ them?

"Here, I'll read one to you." Bulma chirped. She selected a tale about a knight and a dragon and began reading out loud. Vegeta listened quietly for a few moments, the end of his tail ticking back and forth.

Then, Bulma felt the mattress shift as Vegeta moved over closer to her, much, much closer. His shoulder and the right side of his chest were pressed up against her back and his tail had wound itself around her arm. She felt a heated blush spread across her cheeks as he leaned against her, his gaze traveling over her shoulder to look at the book she was holding. The hairs on the back of her neck tingled with excitement when his hot breath washed over them. He felt so warm; she swallowed and tried to ignore her pounding heart. With a shaky voice, Bulma continued reading until she felt Vegeta's tail make its way down to her waist, clinging tightly to her.

A feeling of searing heat spread through her body as Bulma stopped reading and turned to look at the Saiyan. His black eyes bored piercingly into hers. Gulping, she swore under her breath as she stared at his face and his finely chiseled features. An aristocratic nose, authoritative eyes, delicate jaw-line, and firm lips. Her eyes settled on the last as she distractedly bit her own cherry colored lips. Dang! Why did he have to look so…

so…

Her eyes slowly started to slide closed and her lips parted as she leaned in towards him. Just another inch…

"What?" a deep voice startled her. Bulma's eyes shot wide open as she jerked backwards, emitting a yelp of surprise.

'What? What what?' her mind raced incoherently. Oh crap, did Vegeta hear what she was thinking about him? Or did he mean what was she doing? Wait, what _was_ she doing? What was she _thinking_? Heck, even she didn't really know what was going on with her. Did she just try to kiss Vegeta? Thank goodness he said something and snapped her out of it before she made a complete fool of herself.

Wait! Her brain slammed on the breaks. Vegeta _said_ something?!

Vegeta watched as emotions flooded through Bulma's eyes. Shock, embarrassment, confusion, and then returning to shock. Vegeta chuckled, it was incredibly amusing how the female would show everything she felt so openly. He rather liked that about her.

"W-what?" he heard her squeak out finally as she stared at him with impossibly widened eyes.

Vegeta rolled his eyes and gestured at the writing on the page. "This. What is it?"

Bulma stared blankly at the page for a moment.

"It's words." she answered numbly. Just then, Bulma's brain managed to catch up with what was happening and she jumped to her feet, glaring angrily at Vegeta.

"You jackass! You can talk?" she yelled. It was actually more of a statement than a question. Vegeta rolled his eyes again and then nodded.

"Since when?" Bulma demanded, her hands planted firmly on her hips.

Vegeta frowned thoughtfully for a few minutes before he answered. "Some visits."

Bulma puzzled over his answer briefly before it occurred to her what he meant. Vegeta must be referring to her visits to the time chamber. It suddenly occurred to her that he didn't really have any other means of measuring the passage of time in the chamber outside of her coming and going. She was his clock!

"So, you can understand what I say to you then?" she asked, as she calmed down.

"Mostly." Vegeta smirked. He seemed pretty proud of his recently acquired linguistic skills.

"Then, I have some questions." Bulma's eyes narrowed interrogatively as she sat back down on the bed and faced him. Vegeta's face fell, maybe talking to her was a mistake. Now, there would be no way for him to successfully ignore her. He shifted unhappily in his spot while he absently fingered his tail.

"Well first off, do you have any family back home?" Bulma questioned.

Vegeta's head snapped up in surprise. Whatever he had been expecting the female to ask him, it certainly wasn't that. He had been very afraid she would ask him about his tail's unruly behavior as of late, something that he was desperate not to talk about. For Saiyans only persons who were mates, or persons interested in becoming mates, would normally allow such contact as wrapping one's tail around another's waist or any other area. Outside of those particular relationships, tails, like hands and a few other body parts, were to be kept to yourself at all times. Touching another person's tail or touching them with yours, was typically considered a sign of romantic, or at least sexual, interest in them. Vegeta really didn't want to think about or explain to anyone why his tail insisted on entwining itself with the female at every opportunity.

Feeling that the woman's question was better than what he had thought she might ask him, Vegeta decided to play along and answer.

"Yes."

"Well, okay." Bulma raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side. "Can't you tell me a little more than that?"

Vegeta sighed, apparently the female desired to have some sort of conversation with him. Just his luck.

"I have parents and a brother." He told her at then added, "Younger."

Bulma's face lit up happily as she struggled to contain her excitement over the situation. She was really talking with Vegeta! "So, parents and a younger brother huh? How about a wife? Kids?" she continued.

Vegeta sent her a confused look. Bulma tried again. "A woman?

Comprehension dawned on Vegeta this time and he blushed.

"No woman." he answered, staring at his tail in his lap. Bulma felt a happy little bubble explode inside of her as she grinned widely at him. 'Stop being an idiot!' she scolded herself, but the happy feeling remained.

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Many thanks to those who reviewed! This chappy and the next run together. I'm doing them as part 1 and 2. 2 should be up tuesday or wednesday so hang tight guys. Sorry I worked today and I'm too tired to write individual responses, but to:

clueless788 =)

Infinite Pen ^^

Takuma ;p

MK08 XD

buenachica88 ^w^

-CelestialPurity- n_n

JJ :3

Rraz45 X3

Project Shadow ^_^

The Better Side =p

Nintendocat X)

You all are awesome!

Ok folks, VBR is really tired now and must go slee... ZzZzZz

Thanks! n_n


	16. Chapter 16

Sorry it's late, college started again and I've been so totally swamped that I haven't even had the energy to log on and read any updates on my favorite stories. I'm soooo behind on everything X( *sniff* Forgive me?

My summer off was so wonderful and relaxing, I want it back... *cries*

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Chapter 15, part 2

Bulma continued to sit and talk with Vegeta for a few hours. The conversation didn't move very quickly, but she enjoyed every minute of it. Vegeta still had a somewhat difficult time expressing himself clearly, but over all Bulma was impressed. He had picked the language up amazingly well.

From what Vegeta told her, Bulma concluded that Saiyans seemed to have lived in a rather interesting society. All of them lived and worked as members of a single tribe, but within the tribe each Saiyan family formed a close knit pack. Vegeta explained that each pack was headed and represented by a single Saiyan, usually the family's strongest or most skilled warrior. These representatives were referred to as pack bosses and were responsible for looking after all of the members in their pack. A Saiyan's social standing and influence was determined by what pack he belonged to. From what Bulma understood, Vegeta was the oldest son of the lead pack's boss. His father, Vegeta explained, acted as the head for the whole tribe. Apparently, this was a position that Vegeta was expected to take over eventually.

Bulma had then asked Vegeta how each pack's social ranking was established. He informed her that only the lead pack's position in the tribe was hereditary. His family line had successfully filled this head position for generations. Since Saiyans were, as a rule, fiercely loyal in nature and since Vegeta's family had been competent leaders so far, his pack's ranking had never been seriously challenged by another pack. All of the tribe's other packs, established their ranking according to their strength. Once every twenty years, the Saiyans held a tournament and each pack entered their best fighter as a representative. A pack's ranking for the next twenty years was determined by how well its best warrior fared against the competition.

Bulma frowned, it seemed that the entire Saiyan culture was centered on their strength. They had no allies and had formed no treaties with any of the inhabitants they had come in contact with. They spent most of their time and energy hunting, although if all Saiyans ate as much as Vegeta did, Bulma figured they didn't have much of a choice in that matter. Personal possessions seemed to have little value or meaning to them and food appeared to be their only form of currency. From what Vegeta said, you could obtain anything you wanted if you offered a Saiyan enough meat.

"So, do you have a lot of friends back home?" Bulma asked.

"A few." Vegeta shrugged noncommittally.

"Oh come on, that's not an answer. Don't you have some hunting buddies or something? What are their names?" she huffed.

"Kakarott, Bardock." Vegeta told her finally, he didn't really want to talk about this.

"Well, that's not really a few but alright." Bulma responded exasperatedly, but she let the matter go. It was like pulling teeth to get this guy to talk, he must be part clam. She wondered what his family and friends did to get him to converse, then again maybe all Saiyans were like this. Perhaps, being on his own didn't bother Vegeta at all. Curious, she asked him softly, "Vegeta, do you miss your home?

Vegeta stiffened and glared at the female. He had been abruptly torn away from his comrades in the middle of a hunt. When he had awoken, Vegeta had found himself trapped in this hideous white room, surrounded by people and things he was unfamiliar with and all mental links to his people cut off. He was alone and beyond the reach of his comrades. He had nearly lost all control of his senses because of the overwhelming rage, fear, and confusion that taken a hold of him back then. Now, this weak little wench dared to ask him if he missed it? What did she care? It was none of her concern how he felt. Did she really think that he would ever confess such a weakness to her?

Trepidation filled Bulma's heart as she watched Vegeta's onyx eyes turn into narrow angry slits. Her conscience stung her like a slap across the face. What was she thinking asking him that? Of course, he would miss his home! It wasn't as if living in a time chamber was so wonderful that he would rather live there than with his people. Vegeta was a Saiyan, a hunter by nature; he had to hate being stuck in this cramped monotonous room like some kind of trapped animal. Guilt clawed and slashed at her heart like an angry beast. What had she done? She was the reason that Vegeta was trapped here. How could she ever think that she or her colleagues had the right to steal someone away from their home like that? She felt like a monster.

The anger slowly faded from Vegeta's eyes as he watched the female get lost in her own thoughts. She was incredibly pitiable in the way she showed every little emotion she felt openly. Between the variations in her scent and the rapid changes in her expression, he could easily tell what she was feeling. He could follow her unspoken train of thought easily just by watching her. Vegeta silently snorted in disgust, he wondered if all humans were this easy to read. How weak!

Vegeta frowned uncomfortably, he could tell that the woman was blaming herself for his position. Nagging guilt was reflected in her eyes when he looked at them, their aqua depths swirling in confusion and sadness.

Vegeta didn't like that look.

While it was true that he was outraged about his imprisonment in this place, he found it difficult to stay angry at the weak little female. Instead, his fury chose to rage against her companions, namely the three males that he had seen briefly on two different occasions. What did the female call them? Ah yes, she referred to them as Yamcha, Malone, and that-blood-sucking-freak-show-Ramassen. He knew that whatever part the woman had played in trapping in him here, they were just as responsible. For daring to forcibly restrain him, the female and the others deserved to be brutally punished and killed. Vegeta growled in frustration, if he was going to keep his honor as a Saiyan, he must exact a complete and bloody revenge on those who had disgraced and entrapped him.

However, Vegeta found the prospect of harming the woman strangely repugnant. He had no qualms about disemboweling the three males whom, besides being shamefully weak, lacked the courage to even face him directly. The female was different though. She fed and cared for him on several occasions. Though he loathed admitting it, he was actually very grateful for her company. He surely would have driven himself mad by now if he had been alone this entire time. Also, in spite of her frail body, the woman faced him alone and unprotected. She had treated him gently and with a kindness he was certain he didn't deserve. Yet, her temper and spirit were like raw searing flames. When provoked, she fought with and swore at him without fear or restraint. No, Vegeta sighed, he did not wish to hurt her, if only for the fact that he liked her spirit. The three males would just have to pay for her crimes against his honor in addition to their own, Vegeta decided. Yes, he told himself, he would allow the female to live but only because she was different from the others.

She was-

Vegeta searched for the right word to describe the blue haired woman but couldn't think of it. What was it?

Unaware of Vegeta studying her, Bulma was staring intently down at the book in her lap, her vision blurring as tears began forming in her eyes. Sniffling pathetically, she swallowed and willed them not to fall. 'No time for water works now,' she told herself. Her hands trembled as she clenched the storybook tighter in frustration. This was no good; she was driving herself nuts and was probably making Vegeta mad. She believed that a change of topic was in order.

"So do you like the book?" Bulma looked up at Vegeta and gave the Saiyan a smile, pointing to the story she had been reading aloud earlier. Startled by her abrupt change, Vegeta quickly glanced down at the book, to remind himself what she was talking about, and then sent her a puzzled look.

"Saiyans do not have these 'books.'" he informed her, trying out the unfamiliar expression. He pointed to the writing on the page. "What is this?"

Bulma frowned and picked up the book. "I told you before, it's words. You know, marks that tell you what to say. It's the written form of my language." She was starting to feel confused again. While she could understand Vegeta being unfamiliar with codex style documents, he should still understand what writing was. After all, written language had been established long before man figured out how to make books.

For once, Vegeta actually looked impressed by something that Bulma had showed him. Curiously, he examined one of the pages.

"Saiyans do not have these marks." Vegeta frowned, clearly upset to find that his race was lacking in some area. He wanted his people to be the best in everything, not just fighting. He had to find a way to remedy this.

Bulma smiled in amusement as she watched Vegeta mulling over this new revelation. He had looked so awed by the idea of communicating through writing but, at the same time, so flustered that she had nearly laughed out loud. She had no idea why the Saiyans had failed to develop a written language system, but it did explain why they hadn't left any of the written records behind that most of their contemporaries had.

"Would you like me to teach you to read them, Vegeta?" Bulma smiled warmly at him. Vegeta paused before giving her a curt nod. His face remained calm as he stared at her, but Bulma could see a glimmer of excitement burning in his eyes.

"Alright then, let's get started." she laughed.

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Hope you liked =D Thanks for all of your support and comments! Hugs to all ^^ You make me smile! I'm not sure when the next update will be, I have **19**,** YES 19,** credit hours this semester so I'm too tired to write most of the time. I'll try to finish this soon though! Thank you everyone and especially all my wonderful reviewers. =3

Loisen: lol, glad you're enjoying the story and thanks so much for reviewing! hehe, aww, I can't have him just do that, he's got worries! lol X3

XxKuroyoxX: Thankies No worries, I just disappeared for a while too. Congrats on the pups! Saw your journal but was to tired to read, sorry. I will get to it soon. Give em cuddles for me!

Infinite Pen: Oh come on, a completely mute caveman Veggie, while sexy, would get old eventually...... well maybe not, lol. heh, there's more explanations in the next chappy^^ Thanks again!

-CelestialPurity-: hmm, sounds like me. lol, yes, soon. Very soon. ^^ thank you

IfLooksCouldKill: Yay! Hope you like this one too. Yeah, everyone seems so excited that he can talk now, although he's still not really chatty. Hum, maybe I should try writing a fic where Veggie doesn't talk at all. Oh idea!

JJ: Yup, took awhile huh? lol, Don't worry, you'll know all the answers by the end of the story. hehe, thanks a lot hun!

clueless788: Enjoy and thanks hun!=D

Darkangl28: Thankies! heh heh, I do that when I read BV's too.

hopelessly_demented: Thanks! hehe, *blush* Darn typos, I changed the wording and accidentally left an extra word in there, thanks for helping me catch it! ^w^

Novantique: Thank you, glad you like it! ^^ lol, but of course my dear reader. Who am I to deny curiosity? More soon.

buenachica88: heh, well, we'll see. after all, you want to know how it ends right? =D I'm happy that you like it so much. I still have a few chapters to go. ^^ Thank you!

MK08: lol, hope this one is just as much fun for you to read! thanks! Oh yes, I love tails XD

The Better Side: hehe, the wait made it more exciting for everyone I guess. lol, yes this chappy is longer, hope you like! Thanks

Project Shadow: So true. Don't worry though, it'll happen. ^-^ Thankies

Nintendocat: lol, You thought that through more than i did. Yeah, I would never make my precious Veggie an idiot. Hope you enjoy this one too! thanks a lot hun!

Rraz45: Thank you =3

Thanks and please review!

VBR~


	17. Chapter 17

VBR: *peeks out fearfully* Well, *cough cough* if anyone is still reading this, you can call off the funeral. I'm not dead. Really I'm not :S I just got totally wrapped up in school and well… yeah. (I actually ended up taking 21 credit hours by the second half of the semester.) Sorry, but I hope to finish this story while I'm on winter break so I'll be updating a lot over the next couple weeks. On the bright side, I got a 98.8 average grade for my classes!

Readers: NOBODY CARES!!! Now where's our VxB?!?!?! *wave pitchforks and torches*

VBR: Eep! Sooo sorry! * hides * Forgive meee!

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Chapter 16

For the next three weeks, Bulma gave Vegeta lessons in reading and writing. To her delight, he learned quickly, although he often became frustrated when he didn't immediately understand something. This frustration often lead to Vegeta throwing what can only be described as temper tantrum. More books meet their untimely demise in that chamber than Bulma could count. When he got aggravated, Vegeta tended to vent his feelings by tearing the nearest stack of reading material into millions of pieces.

"No, no! The word is foul not fowl, Vegeta. It means disgusting, dirty, unpleasant, vulgar, or rotten." Bulma sigh as she rubbed her forehead. Today's lesson was turning into a long one.

"I thought you said it meant birds." Vegeta growled in irritation. "Make up your mind woman."

"Yes Vegeta, fowl refers to an edible bird or game bird. Foul, however, means something nasty or contaminated." She gave him a tired look. "I know they sound the same, but they're not."

"So your culture views birds as disgusting?" he raised an eyebrow at her. Humans had some truly ridiculous notions.

"What? No! It has nothing to do with how we view birds! They just happen to sound the same. Their meanings are completely unrelated!" Bulma ran her hands through her hair in exasperation. Sometimes, Vegeta truly had trouble grasping a concept. But most of the time, she suspected he was just bored and wanted to mess with her. She picked up the book and held it in front of his face, gesturing forcefully at the page. "Just look at the word! You can see it's spelled differently!"

_WHOOOOSH!_

Bulma dropped the book with a screech as it exploded in flames. Vegeta had an arrogant smirk on his face and crossed his arms over his chest. "And now it says nothing."

She glared at him and held her singed fingers against her chest. "How did you do that?"

Vegeta looked at her inquisitively.

"Don't give me that look! You know what I mean." Bulma's eyes narrowed threateningly. "That is the second time I've seen you make something blow up like that. I want to know how you do it."

"It's just a ki blast." Vegeta shrugged disinterestedly.

"What's ki?" she asked curiously.

Vegeta sent her a withering glare. "It's energy. Is your race completely ignorant?" He then went on to explain to her that all Saiyans had the ability to manipulate ki. They could use it both to attack their enemies and to protect themselves from harm. Bulma listened carefully, as Vegeta described how his people were capable of sensing ki and were able to keep track of each other this way, even over long distances.

"That's incredible." She whispered, completely awed. It certainly explained why Vegeta was able to detect her shield belt and why the x-ray made him nervous. "Vegeta, do you know where you are?" she asked abruptly. Her eyes widened and her hand flew to cover her mouth. The question had popped out before she even realized what she was saying. She lifted her eyes to cast a nervous glance at him.

Confusion showed on his features. "I'm here," he gestured around him, "with you."

Bulma blushed faintly at the last part of his answer and said a silent prayer of thanks that he had misunderstood her question. She really hoped that she never had to explain to Vegeta that she and her colleagues had brought him thousands of years forward in time as part of a top secret science experiment. She relaxed gently in her chair and smiled across at Vegeta. "Yeah, you are. Silly me." She laughed and stood up.

Vegeta looked at her suspiciously. Perhaps, the female had meant to ask him if he knew where 'here' was. If that was the case, she seemed relieved by his confused answer. Vegeta frowned slightly; based on her behavior and on the scent of fear he had detected coming from her a moment ago, she hadn't really meant to ask that question. Did she fear his reaction if he knew what was going on? He growled indignantly to himself. How long would this female continue to underestimate him? His features darkened devilishly, it was time he taught this woman a lesson. Namely, that it was impossible for her to hide anything from him for long; he was not a fool.

Interrupting Bulma's idle chatter, Vegeta's words came out cold and crisp. "Yes, I know."

"Excuse me?" Bulma's fearful eyes snapped to meet his and her mouth went dry.

"I am aware," Vegeta said very smoothly, relishing her look of rising panic, "of exactly where, and _when_, I am."

Bulma's heart stopped beating and leapt into her throat. Fear and trepidation flooded her senses, as Vegeta's cold onyx eyes seemed to drill painfully through her. She struggled to find her voice and her wits but both seemed to have gone AWOL. Vegeta _knew_ what they had done to him? Her stomach clenched violently at this revelation. If that was true, than surely he must want to kill her and the others, or exact some sort of revenge. She saw a vision of her own broken and bloodied body lying lifeless on the chamber floor with a smirking Saiyan standing over her, licking her blood from his hands. Undoubtedly, this was the death fate had in store for her, and now it was only moments away. She would die a slowly and violently for her one great crime, for daring to toy with another's life. Somewhere in the back of her heart, she couldn't help but feel that it was only just. She had destroyed Vegeta's life, for purely selfish reasons, and now he would destroy hers. The majority of her senses, though, recoiled in horror at the prospects facing her.

'I didn't want to die.' That one thought pounded incessantly through her mind. Every fiber of her being wanted to scream it out loud; but when she opened her mouth, only a dry croak came out. She stared helplessly at Vegeta in silence.

"B-but how?" she finally rasped some minutes later.

"I can hear them." Vegeta said as he tossed his head in the direction of the chamber's doors. Bulma gazed at him slack jawed and her knees began to tremble. "After I figured out your language, all I had to do was listen."

"You mean outside? You can hear us talking when we're outside the chamber?" She gasped in shock.

"Yes, easily. All I have to do is concentrate and I can hear every word spoken outside of this room, every breath being taken if I wish to." Vegeta's voice was both cold and mocking. To Bulma, he sounded like a cat that was toying with a cornered mouse. "I can even hear your heart racing right this very moment, as clearly as if it were my own pulse pounding in my ear."

Dread filled Bulma's heart as she realized how many of her team's discussions Vegeta might have heard. How was it possible for him to hear people talking outside of the time chamber? The chamber's walls were very thick and densely constructed, plus the energy barrier around the room should have rendered the entire enclosure virtually soundproof. Bits of past conversations and remarks of her and the others came flooding into her mind. She looked at Vegeta in horror. What had he heard them say? More importantly, what had he heard _her_ say? Maybe he had just been playing with her the entire time, waiting for her to ask. Now, he would reveal how he had been toying with her all along and then kill her for her impertinence.

She gripped the table in front of her for support, clenching the edge so tightly her knuckles turned white. How could she be so foolish? Bulma squeezed her eyes shut so she wouldn't see the blow coming. Please let it be over quick she prayed as she felt tears beginning to slip down her cheeks. Underneath her fear, she was suddenly aware of another emotion beginning to surface, a new pain. Betrayal. She had trusted Vegeta, and now he was about to hurt her. Even if his act of revenge was justified, his betrayal of her trust was not. He should have just killed her to begin with. Toying with her so treacherously like this was just cruel. More tears spilled from her eyes and she bit down harshly on her tongue to keep herself from crying out. Soon, a metallic taste began to fill her mouth as blood seeped from the wound.

Vegeta stared at the pale, trembling, crying woman before him in shock. He hadn't even threatened to do anything to her and she was already a complete mess. Sure, he had planned to shake her up a bit, but this 'sad little lamb waiting for the slaughter' look was not what he had hoped to for. Quite frankly, seeing the woman look so pathetic like this just ticked him off. Where was her usual spirit? "What the devil is wrong with you?" he bellowed.

Startled by Vegeta's outburst and already unstable, Bulma fell to the floor in a sobbing heap. "I-I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Vegeta, I'm s-sorry…" her sides heaved raggedly as her small frame shook with grief and fear. She hugged herself tightly and rocked gently back and forth as she cried. Vegeta listened in irritation to her rambling and barely discernible apology for several moments. Her voice was so small and choked with sobs that it was almost impossible to make out her words. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore and strode towards her.

At that moment, Bulma looked up to see Vegeta, scowling deeply, walking purposefully towards her. Her blood froze in her veins and her body refused to move. She watched terror as he knelt beside her and reached his hand out towards her. The instant the Saiyan touched her, a heavy mist swirled before her eyes and then Bulma's world went black.

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Thank you for reading! Be kind and leave some feedback pretty please? =3

And to those whom I owe a special word of thanks to:

VxB lover: Wow! Thanks for all the diligent reviews =D I hope you like the update. Your comments really made me want to get back to writing this story.

GDragon 4 life: I thought so too! I wannna give him a P.E.! Your comments also were very much appreciated. Hope you like this chappy too.

Hip: I fully intend to finish it, RL just made me put it on the back burner for a while. Thanks for the encouragement!

RAYMAR: Hihi! Thanks for R&R ing and I hope your get to read this update!

BLACK0NYX: Ooooh, fun name! Thanks and sorry for the wait!

JJ: Been better :S But oh well, thank you! Um, in colleges around here, every class you take is worth so many credit hours. Usually between 1 and 4 per class. It's based on how much time you spend in the class. Although it varies a bit, each credit hour is roughly equal to 1 to 1.5 hours of class time. For some things though, like labs, that's not really true and the class time is much longer.

buenachica88: Sorry for the wait, I'll try to make up for it the next two weeks.

Takuma: Thank you very much! Well, I'll make sure you get the answer soon. n_n Again sorry for the wait. I know 19 hours isn't impossible but I'm one of those people who can't really focus on more than one thing at once, and I'm a real low energy person. =.=' But I have all winter break to focus on writing now!

Infinite Pen: Ah, if your still keeping tabs on this story, thank you once again for your thoughtful and encouraging comments and observations. As for the ending, you will know shortly cause I'm all ready to finish this puppy! Heh, unfortunately this chappy really didn't turn out very sweet. But the next one has some good moments and some important explanations. And (drum roll please!) it will be posted this week. Lol, no kidding I don't get paid. It would be cool if I did, then I could quit my cleaning jobs. =P

Rraz45: Thanks a lot hun!

clueless788: He's the equivalent of one yes, though I don't use the term directly. I made the Saiyan culture a bit more primitive so they don't have a king but more of a head boss of their tribe.

hopelessly_demented: Thanks for catching that n_n! You'll know soon, really.

IfLooksCouldKill: Hihi! Hope your still reading this. Sorry but I haven't even logged on to read anything on here in months let alone update. Hope all is well in your world hun!

XxKuroyoxX: Hey! How's the weather there? And the puppies must be big by now! I stuck at home with a foot of snow and 3F temp right now. Oh well, that's what I had wool sweaters for I guess. lol

-CelestialPurity-: lol, thanks for the tips. Hope you read the update. Lol, balance and I have never been close unfortunately.

Nintendocat: Thank you ^w^ Um, more or less yeah. Bulma isn't rich or anything is this since she has to depend on others to finance the time chamber project.

Loisen: First, thanks for all of your lovely reviews! 2nd, She couldn't just take a casual trip back there, no. The time chamber is more like a void, or neutral zone, in the time line. It trapped Vegeta inside its barrier and just held him there. He's not actually in Bulma's time, which is why he can't leave the chamber. So, it's not really a time machine that Bulma could use to travel between the past and future, more like a trap door in the time line. You open it at the right time and someone will fall through the space time continuum into the free space inside the chamber.

Project Shadow: Thank you! ^w^

MK08: Thanks very much, hope you like this chapter too! X3


	18. Chapter 18

VBR: YAY! Somebody is still reading this! Oh yeah.*cough* Ahem, I forgot to do this last chapter:

I do not own DBZ, which means I'm committing plagiarism... please don't tell my mother.

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Chapter 17

Vegeta grunted in surprise as the female fainted in his arms. He had wanted to mess with her a bit, but this wasn't any fun. She could at least wait until he did something scary before she freaked out!

He picked her up awkwardly and carried her over to his bed where he gently laid her limp form down. Part of him was inclined to just leave her; after all, he hadn't done anything wrong. Why should he feel compelled to take care of her? He looked down at her pale face and felt a sharp pain in his chest. Did she really fear him that much? Her body still smelt heavily of fear and it made his stomach twist tightly.

When Vegeta had first figured out where he was, well yeah, he had been furious. How dare these humans treat him like some animal they could toy with as they pleased! However, a lot had happened since that time. Granted, he was still outraged that some humans had dared to trifle with his life so carelessly, but he didn't intend to take that anger out on the female. He had decided to spare her because she had earned his respect. Besides, he grinned devilishly down at her soft form as his tail snaked up her leg, he could think of many other ways that she could repay him. She wouldn't need to shed her blood to repent for her crime, but he did intend to make her repent, eventually. His tail flipped wildly through the air in excitement, but then it suddenly dropped sadly to his side.

After all this time, Vegeta had thought that the female was beginning to trust him. Aside from Kakarott's mate, all of the outsiders he had ever met had treated him and his fellow Saiyans with fear and contempt, causing Saiyans to despise most earthlings as cowards. The blue haired little woman was the first human not to shun him. He had respected her for standing up to him, and her fiery spirit had made him somewhat excited. She was a challenge, something no Saiyan could resist.

But now, it appeared he was wrong and her bravery was only a front; she didn't trust him at all. Didn't she know by now that he could no longer bring himself to hurt her physically even if he wanted to?

Vegeta's eyes widened as this thought entered his consciousness. Confusion filled him as he glanced uncertainly around the room. What was happening to him? When had this little female become so important? What was she to him that he was willing to spare her life rather than avenge himself? Vegeta retrieved a cool wet rag and laid it across her forehead as he pondered the last question. She wasn't a pack-mate, nor was she his mate, his usual frown deepened even further. Yet, the woman was something more than a companion. A friend? No, that didn't seem to fit quite right either. What was it? There was a word for it, a word to describe her perfectly. If only he could think of it.

"Aren't you mad?" a small voice broke through Vegeta's thoughts. He looked down to find Bulma starting up at him with red watery eyes. Her expression was much like that of a child that had expected to be severely punished, but instead found herself being only mildly scolded. Her eyes were questioning, timid, and bewildered, but no longer terrified. Sniffling pathetically, she wiped her nose on her sleeve and peered curiously up at Vegeta, making his heart skip a beat. He gave a soft sigh and his shoulders slumped. He didn't like having to try and sort all of these feelings out; it was just too confusing.

"You should have asked first." Vegeta answered tiredly as his tail reached up to stroke the side of her face. A sudden snort erupted from Bulma and her hand flew to her mouth. Vegeta watched her incredulously as she exploded in a fit of giggles. Her whole body shook until she could barely breathe.

"Yeah, I suppose I should have." She finally smiled and collapsed back onto the bed, exhausted. With one hand she reached up and started to gently stroke his tail, which readily curled around her hand. She didn't know why Vegeta was being so calm about this, her own conscience had been tormenting her for some time about the matter. She certainly felt like she deserved his wrath. Why was Vegeta being so… so _nice_? She blinked; there was two words that did not belong in the same sentence together.

"Foolish female." Vegeta rolled his eyes and removed his tail from her grasp. "Is it your time of the month or something?"

Bulma's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I'm going to let that comment go this time Vegeta, but only this time. And where did you learn that kind of expression? Wait let me guess, you heard Yamcha say it, right? Your language skills are pretty good for a guy who can't understand the difference between foul and fowl." The Saiyan merely smirked at her and lightly slapped her hand as she again reached for his tail.

"Vegeta," Bulma frowned and rubbed her hand absently, "do you know what happened to the Saiyans? I mean, there aren't any of them around in my time and nobody knows why they all disappeared."

Vegeta sat quietly for a moment and stroked the side of his face with his tail before he answered her. "They went back." He finally said as he gently fingered his tail.

"Back where?" Bulma sat up alertly and looked at him in confusion. Vegeta sighed and released his tail; it immediately began to wind itself around Bulma's upper thigh.

"Back to the stars." Vegeta told her calmly.

"I don't understand. Stars? Do you mean some kind of afterlife? Like stars in heaven?" she frowned, puzzled.

"No, foolish little one, the stars! Up! They went back to our star." Vegeta sent her an annoyed look. The irritating little female could be incredibly dense at times. Bulma looked at him incredulously. "You mean space?"

"Yes, foolish woman." Vegeta grinned. Bulma glared angrily at him.

"It's Bulma! My name is Bulma! You little monkey faced twerp! Start using it!" she hissed, shoving her finger into his chest. "And do you really expect me to believe that some nomadic group of hunters and scavengers discovered space travel in the middle of the desert six thousand years ago? That's absurd! Humans hadn't even discovered electricity at that point let alone advanced space travel." Bulma snorted and gave the end of Vegeta's tail a flick as it tried to slip up her skirt.

Vegeta winced and with drew his tail, pouting slightly. Oh well, it had been worth a shot. He sent Bulma a peeved glare as he continued. "_Humans_, hadn't discovered it. Do I seem _human_? We didn't discover anything on this star 6000 years ago. We brought it with us when we came here. The Nameks gave us their ships when we had to leave our star."

"Come again?" Bulma blinked in shock.

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Next chappy, probably up tomorrow. Thanks for reading and remember the formula!** R=L; L=:)VBR, :)VBR=UD**

_[i.e. Reviews=love, love=happy VBR, happy VBR=updates ]_

hopelessly_demented: Hope this is a little better, not to many chappys left. I hope so too. :S

IfLooksCouldKill: Heh, yeah. Nice that your still around! n_n Yes I've been a bad writer lately, but I update again today and maybe tomorrow to show my repentance! -.- thanks!

buenachica88:Your welcome! Thanks for still reading. =D Nothing much, really. Bulma just passed out because she was so freaked out. Vegeta was trying to mess with her a bit, but he didn't mean to scare her that badly. Bulma's reaction was mostly due to the face that she's really mad at herself right now because she realizes just how unfair what they did to Vegeta was. She angry at herself and just assumed that Vegeta would be ever more enraged about the matter. See how worked up you can get when you just assume you know what someone else is feeling?

Rraz45 : Yes, finally. *blush* Hope this is quick enough. =D

Nintendocat : Yeah, college can be rough. But I'm free for 3 weeks now! YAY! Bulma strikes me as the type who overreacts at times to things before there's really a reason to worry. She's just freaking out right now because her conscience has been bothering her for a while about this now. Sometimes our hearts are our harshest judges.


	19. Chapter 19

**I do not own DBZ, Frieza would have died multiple times at Vegeta's hand if I did.**

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Chapter 18

"_Humans_, hadn't discovered it." Vegeta continued. "Do I seem _human_? We didn't discover anything on this star 6000 years ago. We brought it with us when we came here. The Nameks gave us their ships when we had to leave our star."

"Come again?" Bulma blinked.

"Many generations ago, the Saiyans lived on another world, our star." Vegeta struggled to explain. Bulma listened with rapt attention, hardly daring to breath as Vegeta spoke.

According to Vegeta, the Saiyans were forced to come to earth from anther planet a long time ago. Apparently, there was a huge bloody battle that took place between the Saiyans and a race called the Ice-jins on the Saiyans' home planet, or star as Vegeta called it. Bulma decided she would explain the difference between the words star and planet later. The Saiyan vrs. Ice-jin battle lasted for many long years with the Ice-jins always keeping the upper hand, though both sides suffered great losses. But then, something happened on the planet that only happened once every one hundred and fifty years, a full moon appeared.

"Why is the full moon a big deal for Saiyans?" Bulma interrupted. Vegeta shot her an annoyed look. Couldn't this woman see that he was trying to tell a story here? He didn't give history lessons like this to just anybody. Then again, for the past ten minutes the female had been caressing his tail in a very pleasing manner; so, maybe he could spare her a little of his patience.

Bulma sat in front of Vegeta, eagerly waiting for him to continue. The Saiyans were turning out to be far more amazing than anything she possibly could have imagined on her own. Her focus was completely locked on Vegeta's words; so much so that Bulma didn't even realize that she was gently messaging the end of Vegeta's tail while she listened.

"The full moon changes us." Vegeta finally answered her. His eyelids were starting to fell heavy as his body relaxed in pleasure. At this rate, the woman's ministrations were going to put him to sleep soon.

"What do you mean?" Bulma persisted. She had to stifle a smile when she looked at Vegeta. He was yawning and stretching, reminding Bulma of a big sleepy cat.

"It makes us stronger, and bigger." Vegeta waved his hand lazily as he tried to explain. He really didn't know how to describe the Saiyan transformation; it was just another part of his nature. How do you describe something like that to another person?

Bulma raised a skeptical eyebrow at this new bit of information. Was Vegeta some sort of space werewolf or something? She would have to dig into that subject later, she decided. Groggily, Vegeta continued on with his story.

That night, after several decades of fighting, the Saiyans finally won their freedom and vanquished the Ice-jins completely. However, by that time, the Saiyans' home planet had been completely ruined by the long years of war. It seemed that the Saiyans had defeated their enemies only in time to die with their wasteland planet.

It was about that time, however, that a traveling group of Nameks was forced to land on the planet temporarily. Upon learning of the Saiyans' fate, the Nameks made a deal with the Saiyans. The Namekian home world was beautiful and spacious, capable of providing for the needs of both races easily. However, the Nameks' lovely home had one serious problem; it was completely over run with monsters. A giant dinosaur-like race of creatures also lived on the Nameks' planet and constantly terrorized their small villages. The Namaks called these monsters 'gan-tu.' The gan-tu multiplied quickly, swarming across the planet and left trails of death and destruction in their wake. Sadly, the Nameks, a fairly weak race, were more or less powerless to protect themselves against these cruel beasts.

And so, an alliance was born, the first in Saiyan history. In return for the Nameks sharing their planet and their advanced technology, the Saiyans would protect the Namekian villages and hunt the gan-tu. It was a relationship that proved to be satisfying for both parties. The Namekians were finally able to live the quiet peaceful lives that they desired, and the Saiyans found a suitable new home with challenging game for them to hunt. According to Vegeta, this highly agreeable arrangement lasted for some time. After some years had passed though, the planet Namek began to be ravaged by numerous harsh storms. Soon, the planet's atmosphere became so bad that the planet Namek's suns started to disappear from the sky.

"So then what happened?" Bulma asked anxiously. "Did the Nameks use their spaceships to fly all you guys to earth?"

"No." Vegeta mumbled tiredly. At some point, he had lain back on the bed and now had managed to wind up with his head lying on Bulma's lap. "They asked Porunga to fix it."

"Who?" Bulma asked in confusion. Her fingers continued to idly stroke Vegeta, only now they had moved from his tail to his thick flame-like hair. Vegeta gazed hazily up at her through half-lidded eyes as she moved her hands through his obsidian-colored strands. Bulma was vaguely aware of the feeling that she had a big lazy tiger sleeping on her lap, dangerous and cuddly all at the same time. Once again, Vegeta continued his story in a deep husky sounding voice that indicated he was really only half-awake. Bulma listened but found her attention drifting more towards the speaker than his words.

Porunga was the Nameks' wish-granting dragon, Vegeta explained to her. Porunga, however, wasn't able to fix the planet right away. Instead, he told them that the planet would heal itself, but it would take hundreds of years before it was inhabitable again. So, the Nameks simply asked Porunga to find them a new home. The Saiyans, however, had grown very attached to their new planet and chose to search for a temporary home on their own, with the aid of the Nameks' spaceships. The Saiyans asked the dragon to find them on their new home when their home world was safe again. When that time came, the dragon agreed that he would appear and let them know it was safe to return. Then, the Saiyans would simply use their Namekian ships to fly home.

"When Porunga appears," Vegeta finished lazily, "we will leave and go home."

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_Thanks for reading! Remember,** R&R=LOVE, LOVE=:)VBR, :)VBR=CH.19! **get it? got it! good!_

_So please review! hugs!_

_buenachica88: Veggie can be naughty now and then, lol. That's one of the reasons I love him. -.- Things get cleared up more here, hope it makes sense. Feel better soon! Oh, and thank you for taking a look at Escape and Rain, your comments were very kind. Yes, I was thinking of greed and hunger, though not of Frieza, when I wrote that. It was later I thought it could be used as a Veggie vrs Frieza piece. But anyway, thanks again!_

_Unlisshed: Thank you, that's not far from what I had in mind actually. Saiyans are pretty fun to write about, they give you a lot of options. Hope you like this update too! Take care =D_

_TeamNorthman: lol, thank you so much! I'm happy you're enjoying it and I hope this is to your liking as well. Thanks as well for all of yourr king reviews. They were most appreciated! :3_

_MK08: Yeah, I didn't quit or die. So glad you're still reading this though. I totally agree, Veggie + tail = love. Thanks!_

_XxKuroyoxX: I's SORRY!!! *sniffs* But you've been bad too... -.- No new updates on BB&B for a while now! Lol Uh, what's VCE? :S Yay for socks and puppies! Cuddles from me to them! n_n Wow, that's some weather. We just got six inches of snow (was only supposed to be 1, stupid weatherman!) on top of the 7 we already had. Oh, and now its raining ice XP Yucky stuff! I wish I were in Australia. *pouts and kicks the heater up again* But it is a little warmer now, about 10 degrees below freezing, sure beats 10 below zero (F) What can I say, she can be a little slow at times. Lol, Thanks hun!_

_Omare Alloy: I'm happy to hear that =D Hope you enjoy this bit too._

_Project Shadow: Thankyouness! Lol X3_

_J.W. Appel: Hihi! Yeah, college had me swamped, but I back for a bit now. No, I haven't given up on any of my stories, especially not Tempas Terror. But it may be a little while before I update that one. I plan to finish this first and then The Replacement, then Tempas Terror. Thanks hun!_

_Nintendocat: Glad you liked it. They've actually made some nice progress relationship-wise. I tried to blend real DBZ history with my own take on things. Oh, thanks for catching that!_


	20. Chapter 20

Sorry I had to reload this, it didn't work right the first time.

What? You think I own DBZ? That I'm the amazing Akira-sensei? I don't know weather I should laugh or beat you up. I'm very flattered that you think I'm so talented, but I'm also very insulted. After all, I'm a **girl** and much **younger** and **prettier** than Akira-sensei! Hum, the pendulum seems to be swinging towards violence today, so you might want to start running away now. I'll give you until the count of ten.

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Chapter 19

"When Porunga appears," Vegeta finished lazily, "we will leave and go home, to our star."

Bulma's hands stilled and her mouth opened and closed several times before she found her voice. That was one heck of a tale!

"S-so, you're telling me," she finally stuttered, looking down at him, "that you and these Namek guys, who are _green_ by the way, all lived on some other planet together." Vegeta nodded as his tail slid around Bulma's wrist, urging her hands to continue her earlier ministrations.

"But then, deteriorating planetary climate conditions caused you all to call on this Porunka guy," Bulma continued.

"Porunga." Vegeta corrected, propping himself up on his elbow.

"He could be named pork and beans for all I care." Bulma snapped. "Anyway, this dragon guy says he can't help you, so the Saiyans borrowed a bunch of spaceships from these little green men and flew off to find a new place to crash."

"They're not little." Vegeta grumbled. "Some Nameks are six vendiis tall."

"I don't have a clue what vendiis means." Bulma waved him off, "Then, you guys landed here on earth and started scaring the snot out of all the earthlings with your tails, magic ki stuff, and freaky inhuman strength and senses. Right?" she asked.

Vegeta thought for a moment before deciding that it was close enough and nodding again. Bulma smiled and the continued on. "And the reason the Saiyans all disappeared so suddenly was because you all got into your spaceships and flew back home. Plus, none of you left any documentation of all this behind since your people don't have any form of written language."

"Yes." Vegeta smirked triumphantly; the female had finally understood and she had handled the information smoothly, no freaking out. This was excellent, and rather unusual. But seriously, didn't the tail clue her in? How could she possible think that he was a member of her weak breed? Even the ignorant, primitive, earthlings that had lived in his time had instinctively understood that the Saiyans were somehow different from themselves. Bulma stared at Vegeta thoughtfully for a moment before she leaned in and brought her face close to his. She smiled coyly and Vegeta gulped as she brushed her lips near his left ear.

"WHAT THE HECK KIND OF CRAP IS THAT?!" she yelled abruptly. Vegeta jerked back violently and toppled of the side of the bed, his ears ringing violently.

"You really expect me to swallow that load of trash? You're telling me that your people had advanced space traveling technology but they didn't even have a blasted alphabet?!" Bulma raged, completely overwhelmed. "That's like inventing the jetpack before you discover the wheel! It's ludicrous. How could a civilization have that kind of technology and not leave any evidence of it behind."

Vegeta didn't know what a jetpack was nor did he care. At the moment, he was crouched on the floor, his tail curled beneath him, clutching his head protectively while his wounded hearing struggled to recover from Bulma's assault. He didn't understand what the woman found so unbelievable, it's not like he could make something like that up if he really were just an earthling. The stupid humans in his time actually thought the world was flat. Yeah that's right FLAT! And they said that if you went too far out into the sea, you would fall off the edge of the world into the land of the gods. Talk about a load of trash, he thought angrily. This little female thought he was being ridiculous, her ancestors had been freaking morons. Even though the Saiyans had been primitive, they'd never been so stupid as to believe that their world was flat. They had understood what a planet was and that space was filled with many other inhabited planets long before the Saiyans could travel to them personally. Earthlings in his time, on the other hand, didn't know the simplest things (e.g. shape) about their own world, let alone imagine that there might be other worlds somewhere out there in the universe.

"If that's really the case, then why is everything we're discovered about the Saiyans point to them being an extremely primitive race? Where's the evidence of all your advanced technology?" Bulma huffed at him accusingly. Vegeta glared at her and growled. What was this female's problem? Why did he need to prove anything to her?

Truth be told, the Saiyans really were a very primitive race, even if Vegeta loathed to admit it. When the Saiyans had first meet the Nameks, they had been very wild and barbaric in nature. However, over time, living alongside the peaceful and advanced Nameks had eventually started to tame the Saiyans, just a little bit. The Nameks had shared some of their technology and knowledge with the Saiyans, slowly helping the Saiyans to become somewhat more developed. Mostly, the Saiyans had been interested in learning about the Nameks medical knowledge, since fighting usually lead to a need for healing. However, the Saiyans had only learned about space travel when their circumstances had demanded that they do so. This was not because they were lazy or too stupid to learn such things, but rather, because Saiyan culture had never been very materialistic.

"There is no honor in having machines live for you." Vegeta hissed spitefully, his pride feeling rather sore due to the woman's criticisms of his race. So, Saiyans couldn't write, that just proved it wasn't a very important skill. Besides, earthlings couldn't even fly so ha! Even small Saiyan children knew how to do that. Earthlings were weak, they needed their precious gadgets to do even the simplest of things; Sayians were different. The Saiyans valued living and surviving by their personal strength and cunning alone. They loved to fight, not just in combat, but to survive their everyday lives. Their thirst for battle included a desire to subdue and triumph over their harsh natural surroundings by means of their power alone. Using technology that could make life or battles easier was of no interest to them because it was the same as saying that they were too weak to do it on their own; and any Saiyan would die before admitting that.

Bulma frowned in confusion; this didn't make any sense to her. She just couldn't imagine having the kind of technology needed for space travel and still choosing to live without even the most basic conveniences. What did honor have against indoor plumbing? She sighed and rubbed her forehead thoughtfully. At least she had plenty of time to figure all this stuff out, since working with Vegeta was all she did these days.

But sweet chariot, she blinked, the guy was an alien! That was incredible! No, Bulma stopped herself, actually it was _totally_ believable. It made perfect sense and explained an awful lot about Vegeta. She really should have seen this one coming. But now, she had a million more questions about her unruly Saiyan than she did before.

Wait a second, Vegeta was _her_ unruly Saiyan? Oh boy, that was not a good sign. Bulma shook her head in exasperation and decided to let the matter drop for the time being. Her brain seemed to be suffering from an information overload and it was making her be ridiculous. Besides, Vegeta's irritation with the subject was becoming increasingly apparent and she was starting to worry that she'd offended him somehow. Why did her little Saiyan prince have to be so touchy all the time?

Bulma's eyes widened. Dang it! She did it again! And now he was her prince?

"As if!" She snorted loudly and punched the bed beneath her. "You're more like my Tarzan than my Prince!"

Vegeta raised a questioning eyebrow and his tail waved curiously behind him. "What's a Tarzan?"

Bulma's hand flew to her mouth in horror. No, nononono. Someone please tell her that she did not just say that out loud! That was it, time for a coffee break. She was obviously becoming delusional from caffeine withdrawal or something.

Vegeta watched in amusement and confusion as the female, turning a brilliant shade of crimson, got up and marched purposefully out of the room while muttering incomprehensibly to herself. After he heard the doors swish close outside, Vegeta sat back against his bed, lacing his hands behind his head, and stared up at the ceiling. Slowly, a mischievous smirk stole across his handsome features as his tail flicked back and forth beside him.

"So, little one," he murmured softly, "I am yours now am I?"

_*insert fangirl squeee here*_

* * *

**Thanks for reading! And remember: R LUV=:)VBR; :)VBR=CH.20! And you know you all want to have CH.20!  
**

Avistone: Thank you kindly, hope you enjoy hun!

MK08: Ah, Veggie-kins. He's like a chibi monster, small, cute, and ferocious. But, not quite scary enough to make ya stop squeezing him. XD I mean that's what they made Band-Aids for right? Thankies!

buenachica88: lol, thanks. I think things are going well between them. Though I actually had to go back and read the whole story over myself since I kinda lost my flow on it a bit. That's why it's bad to take long breaks between updates I guess. Eh, well, we'll see. =D I have a few notebook pages left to type.

Unlisshed: Thank you, I had fun with that part. Hope you like this chappy too.

VxB lover: Ah, hello there! Thanks for the continued support =D Cookies for you! lol, I wanted to keep people entertained while Veggie gave us a history lesson. Glad to see it worked. Yup, he's like that but only for Bulma. Take care and enjoy!

JKRowlingsbabie: Thanks!

Angeliss: YAY for yays! Thanks, I try. n_n Yeah, he's my fave too. =)

Infinite Pen: lol, I totally understand. These days I spend most of my time down at the college and the rest split between studying and sleeping. I'll admit it's not an even split. I love my Z's. I just started posting again anyway, so I'm just happy people are still reading this. Hehe, I'm a sneaky devil at times, no? Anyway, hope RL doesn't run you too ragged. And as always, many thanks! =D

Darkangl28: YAY! That makes me happy =D Thanks. Yes! I totally agree! Hope you enjoy this one too.

Takuma: Hihi! Thanks, I'll do my best. Hehe, to know that, you need only to keep reading. ;D

Gege: Hope this was fast enough.=D Thanks.

Omare Alloy: lol, me too. =P Hope you like this one as well.

alysia16: Thank you very much hun.

J.W. Appel: lol, thank you!

Rraz45: Glad you liked it :D Yeah, no SSJ. I like the thought of giant raging monkeys stomping the Ice-jins into slushies better. Hehe, grape flavored slushies. XD

XxKuroyoxX: Hum, it would seem they might actually care about education where you are. My area has awful school systems; a lot of kids just drop out of high school. We don't really have anything like that VCE around here, and a lot of two-year colleges have what they call an open door policy. You can enroll there even if you didn't graduate from high school. Yeah, college and university are about the same. Lol, yep and we got another five inches and an ice storm last tursday. The Ice is pretty because it looks like everything is wrapped in glass but it's bad because it's heavy and breaks the trees and stuff. The roads took a long time to clear too, but you just learn to drive in this kinda stuff. YA! Good Idea! I always wanted to go to Australia! But I should warn you, I live on the northern edge of the grate plain states so we get 105F (40C, you guys use C don't you? My penpal in Melbourne did. I think we're the only ones who still use F and don't use the metric system) summers and –30F (–34C) winters and colder sometimes. Actually, I've read that the temperature range here is nearly 150 degrees between our coldest and hottest temp records. The variety is nice, but not much can keep you warm when the wind chill drops to –50F (–45.5 C). You just have to stay inside until the 'winter advisory' is over. (That's what the weather man issues when it gets super cold) Any who, Thanks and hope all is well. Will be looking for an update *hint hint* on BB&B soon. (Since you seem to have abandoned Carry On ...)

Project Shadow: lol, me thinks so too! n_n Thank you!

TeamNorthman: Thankies very much!


	21. Chapter 21

I'm breaking writers' protocol and writing this story with characters I don't own. I'm a renegade!

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Chapter 20

It had been two days since Bulma had learned about the Saiyans' true origins from Vegeta and she was still having trouble wrapping her mind around the situation. Her biggest concern at the moment was what she was now supposed to do with this startling revelation. Her honor and responsibilities as a scientist demanded that she share her findings with her colleagues.

However, something inside her rebelled at this action and forced her to keep silent on the matter. She had made one of the biggest scientific discoveries in history, and for the life of her she wished Vegeta had never told her. If she told the others that Vegeta was an alien, there was no telling what would happen to him. Of course, there also was always the chance that no one would believe her if she did say anything.

Frustrated, Bulma slammed her bags down as she walked into her office. Her day had only just started and she was already feeling stressed out. Sighing, she poured herself a cup of coffee and gathered up the things she would need for her day in the time chamber with Vegeta. She had no idea what she would do about her current dilemma with Vegeta, but at least she didn't need to worry about it today, she told herself. For the time being, she would just continue her work with Vegeta; she could figure out how much, or how little, information she should tell the others about the Saiyan later. Feeling somewhat comforted by this thought, Bulma picked up her coffee cup and walked out of her office.

She didn't get far, though, before Malone flagged her down. Begrudgingly, Bulma followed him into his upstairs office only to find that Yamcha and Ramassen were also waiting there. Without a word, Malone sat down behind his desk. The room seemed eerily quiet to Bulma.

"So, what's up fellas?" she asked nervously; she did not like the vibes she was picking up at the moment. Yamcha cleared his throat and fiddled with his jacket for a bit before he answered her.

"Listen Bulma, Ramassen just got back from a meeting with the suits upstairs and I'm afraid I have some bad news." Yamcha looked at her sympathetically. Bulma's features displayed her confusion as she gripped her coffee cup apprehensively. Why was Yamcha looking at her like that?

"It seems that the committee has grown tired of your monkey boy." Ramassen cut in bluntly.

"E-Excuse me?" Bulma stuttered uncertainly. A timid quiver ran through her stomach as she glanced around the room. She didn't like where this was going, it was all wrong. Ramaseen couldn't really be implying what it sounded like. She felt her heart starting to pound faster against her chest.

"They want us to bring back someone else, someone from a more recent time frame." Yamcha said gently. He was watching Bulma anxiously, noting that all the color seemed to have left her face and her hands were trembling slightly.

"Apparently," Malone spoke up as he fretfully played with his glasses, "nobody really cares about who or what lived 6,000 years ago. They told us it's too far back. They want something more useful and recent, I guess."

"Which means," Ramassen continued brusquely, "we're going to have to evict your pet monkey and send him back home."

Bulma's coffee cup crashed to the ground and shattered. Her eyes shot wildly around the room, searching for some sign that they were joking. This couldn't be real! She looked at Yamcha pleadingly, but his eyes refused to meet with hers.

"Sorry Bulma, but the committee has been pressuring us on this for some time now and we can't say no any more." He said softly. "We've put off telling you until now but actually we've been working on isolating a new, more recent, target for a while now. We'll need to send the Saiyan back in two days."

Bulma felt the world around her start to fall away as Yamcha's and Ramassen's words echoed inside her head. This just couldn't be, Vegeta was leav…

Vegeta was…

V-Vegeta…

She couldn't finish the thought; her mind was reeling too fast. A sob broke from her lips as Bulma dropped to her knees, her hands covering her mouth.

"Bulma!" A worried Yamcha rushed to her side, gently taking her into his arms as he brushed aside the broken glass around her. Malone jumped to his feet as well, concern evident in his expression.

"Would you wimps quit coddling her already!" Ramassen barked, his green eyes flashing angrily. "She's a scientist and that primitive ape is no more than an experiment that has outlived its usefulness. We're not talking about her pet dog or her friend here. That Saiyan is just a research project that's lost its funding because it hit a dead end. If she can't understand that, she has no business calling her self a professional!"

"Ramassen, Bulma has spent a lot of time working with the Saiyan." Malone countered timidly. "It's only natural that she would be a little upset by the project's termination."

"Rubbish!" Ramassen snorted and sneered down at the weeping Bulma. "This is why women have no business being scientists. They're too soft to be logical." With that he turned and stomped out of the room. Malone glanced anxiously down at Yamcha and Bulma and then back at the door.

"I-I'll try and talk to him." He sighed and followed Ramassen out of the room.

Yamcha watched him go without comment. He doubted that talking to Ramassen would do any good. Nothing short of a miracle would get that man to apologize, besides there were more pressing matters to attend to at the moment. Turning his attention back to Bulma, Yamcha lifted her trembling frame and sat her down in a chair.

"Bulma?" he called softly as he stroked her hair comfortingly. "Bulma can you hear me?"

But the blue haired scientist didn't respond. Her mind was in total chaos as her thoughts raced and stumbled over one another. It couldn't be true. Vegeta was her constant in life; he had to be there for her. The committee must be joking; Ramassen was just messing with her, she told herself. Yes, surely that was it. Please, she prayed, that had to be it. Bulma's face was drenched with tears and her whole body shook as she sobbed into Yamcha's shoulder. She wanted to scream, to yell at the top of her lungs; maybe then the unbearable pressure that she felt contracting in her chest would lessen.

It was like a cold steel vice was clamped around her heart, slowly squeezing tighter and tighter. She found herself gasping for breath, as if the air around her might somehow quell the agonizing pain engulfing her. Bulma wrapped her arms around herself protectively. It felt like she was crumbling to pieces on the inside and if she let go she just might fall apart all over the floor. She'd never experienced a pain like this; it felt like she was dying.

Yamcha watched Bulma holding herself as she cried. He had known that Bulma would be upset, but this was far more extreme than what he had anticipated. A worried frown creased his brow as he watched her.

"I'm sorry babe." He whispered helplessly and kissed the top of her head. "I really am."

Bulma looked up at his apologetic gaze and bit her lip. Yamcha could see that her eyes were red and cloudy. Her clothing was now crumpled and her hair had come loose from the clip she was wearing. He wondered if she had really even heard what he had said.

Bulma stared at him for a moment before she gave a weak nod and stood up. Still clutching herself closely, she stumbled out of the room, not giving him so much as a backward glance. Yamcha watched her go and then slumped against the desk with a defeated groan.

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**Thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter of UA. Now remember how this goes folks:**

**R LUV=:)VBR; :)VBR=CH21!**

buenachica88: Just imagine how bad I was when writing it. Writing frees the imagination, and with Veggie that can be a dangerous thing. At least for my laptop since it's not drool proof… Ah, I promise to do my best! Thank you!

Gege: Thank you, I'll try.  
aysia16: Glad to hear it! Thanks very much =D  
MK08: Me too! lol, that insert was just a quirky little whim of mine. Thanks! n_n  
J.W. Appel: lol, yes definitely. But the again, the beauty of fiction, especially fanficion, is that anything you desire can happen.  
VxB lover: Thank you once again, I'm trying my best. Hum, she probably is a little sore about that. Lol, make you want to squeeze him until his head pops off, huh? Er wait, that would be bad, so never mind. Ah, if only we could make visits like that! Then I could lick Veggie and be in a very happy place when blasted me to ashes for drooling on him. Yeah, no M rated stuff here lady! Oh wait, maybe you're not a lady; I don't know. Humm…  
TeamNorthman: Yay for the fangirl! Yes, he is irresistibly demented. Thanks!  
Rraz45: Thank you! Hum, you'll have to wait and see.  
Project Shadow: Yay for squee! Thanks!  
Loisen: Ya, sorry about that. XS hehe, thanks =D  
XxKuroyoxX: It was 517 words, but I think I may have accidentally counted your name in with that so maybe only 516? Humm, oh well. Very long review, but I got a kick out of reading it. =D I'm glad to hear that you're continuing with your stories. I laugh so hard at some of the stuff you write, even in your reviews. Makes me feel great! You seem like quite a card. ^^ I'm open to anything you want to ask me about, unless it's about the location of my secret chocolate stash. NONE SHALL EVER KNOW WHERE IT LIES!!! Ah! BB&B is suffering from writers block? Say it's not so! Hum, not sure but if anyone can write something like that I'm sure you can, lol. Yeah it's strange weather but ya learn to live with it. You end up owning a lot of wool and down clothes. Wow, fire isn't something we have to deal with here (though it is a threat at times out west) I hope you guys are ok. Yes, it's quite lovely to look at, you just gotta be careful. They have a lot more trouble with ice a bit north of here, we only have mild ice storms here. Um, no it's different from a blizzard. We don't really get many terrible blizzards with whiteouts and really bad winds and stuff. The snowstorms here are really very peaceful most of the time. Ice storms are like half frozen rain (like sleet, not hail) falling down but the temp is below freezing so it starts to freeze as soon as it lands. I actually had to think about that for a minute, lol. I was home-schooled actually; the state I live in doesn't even regulate home schooling at all. Some states are a bit more up on education, just not the one I live in. =.= In the area where I live my generation is the first to really bother with further education. In this area most of the people from my grandparents' generation only went to 8th grade, at the most, and then started farming or joined a union. The people around here from my parents' generation mostly only finished high school, though a few did make it to college, and then became factory workers. There are now three large factories here that provide, directly or indirectly, about two-thirds of the people in town with work. The factories are struggling now though, so I think that's one of the reasons why more young people are looking into college now. They want to get out of this dead end town. But that's just my guess. Anyway, thanks a lot! lol I thought so too =D Take care hun and sorry for rambling (but really, you did deserve it XP)

_Also, at this time I would like to give a special thanks to all of those who have review this story and/or added it to their alert/favorites. So a big thanks and huggles to:*Insert drum roll and fire works*_

_XxKuroyoxX Infinite Pen -x-Bashli-x- 7patty7 alysia16 angle of death103 AnxiouslyAntisocial Avistone BLACK0NYX Blondie Bonzai clueless788 Crow Skywalker Darkangl28 Darkphoniex245 Diza of the Moon Frankenhooker GIFV Wifey Guivre Inu-Kiba jemilover101 LeParfaitAmour Lina-Thepink Loisen mizunosora MK08 mooni21 murdrax Mystique86 Nintendocat O-Godzilla-O Omare Alloy Project Shadow RAYMAR SparklyTea Strefe Takuma The Better Side toshina Unlisshed Vege-Chan VoxynQueen xXsereiXx 7177 Karas98 LuLaine Nesradana remsbabygirl Renya Scorpiondemonchild Takuma TeamNorthman Tessa-Chan Tsukarete unendingclock yearofthejazz gege J.W. apple VxB lover Rraz45 Avistone buenachica88 JKRowlingsbabie Angeliss hopelessly_demented IfLooksCouldKill GDragon 4 life Hip JJ -CelestialPurity- oleandera Lunar Sinner Beyond iin sane sunshine1590 Unknown Cendrekai LimpBiscuit Leadx Whew! I LOVES YOU ALL! ^_^ Hugs and thank everyone so much!!!_

VBR~


	22. Chapter 22

I don't own DBZ or anything else super cool. How boring....

* * *

Chapter 21

Blindly, Bulma stumbled down the hallway, her hand sliding along the wall for support. This couldn't be happening. Nothing around her felt real anymore, it was like she was walking through a thick haze and she couldn't seem to find her way out of it. Why did everything hurt so much? She couldn't take it; the pain was everywhere inside of her. She had to get away from it somehow. Suddenly, oblivious to everything around her, Bulma took off running down the hall. Frantically, she raced towards the time chamber as fast as she possibly could.

Vegeta's head snapped up alertly from the bed that he was lying on as Bulma came crashing into the room. With out saying a word of greeting, the distraught female fell back against the wall and sank to the floor. Bulma felt tears welling up in her eyes again and splashing down her cheeks. Cradling her head in her hands, she didn't even try to conceal the sounds of her weeping.

The Saiyan frowned at her in confusion as he regarded her agitated form. He had never heard her cry so brokenly before. She seemed defeated and smaller somehow. Vegeta's frown deepened, it looked wrong. He didn't like seeing her like this. Not only did it upset him, but also her wailing was hurting his ears.

Carefully, Vegeta approached her and knelt down in front of her, his tail swaying apprehensively. Cupping the female's chin in his hand, he forced her to look up at him. Her face was red and wet from crying and little stray wisps of her cerulean locks were stuck to her cheeks. Her eyes stared up at him beseechingly and Vegeta felt a tremor run through his stomach. Had someone hurt her? He wondered, feeling disturbed at the thought.

"What happened?" he asked tightly as he held her gaze.

But, Bulma didn't answer him. She wanted to say something, but when she opened her mouth no sound would come out. All she could do was stare back at Vegeta helplessly as her tears fell even faster. Vegeta's voice was harsh when he spoke and his body was rigid and tense. But, his touch felt delicate against her skin and his eyes were troubled. Bulma sniveled pathetically and her lips quivered as he waited patiently for her to answer him.

The pain in Bulma's chest seemed to fade away when Vegeta touched her. She knew he had said something to her, but she wasn't sure what it was. The only thing she could hear was the sound of her own thoughts echoing in her head.

Without warning, she threw her arms around Vegeta and buried her face in his neck. She couldn't let this happen. If Vegeta left, she would be alone forever. How could the others expect her to live like that?

Vegeta's breath hitched as he felt the female embrace him and his tail suddenly stilled.

"L-little one?" his said quietly as he gently placed his hand on her back. Surprise and hesitation swept through him, making him hardly dare to breathe. What was going on here?

Bulma ground her teeth in anger as she pulled Vegeta closer to her. Her body began to quake again, but this time it was out of rage. Vegeta was not some animal that those pompous creeps could dispose of just because they wanted to get a new pet! Fire coursed through her veins as her spirit returned. No! She would not let this happen. It wasn't fair! He was hers; Vegeta belonged to her and her alone! How dare anyone try to take him away from her! She would not stand for this. Somehow, she would stop this; she had to.

She had to, because Vegeta was hers. They could not be parted, not now, not ever. It was that simple.

The temperamental Saiyan had been hers from the very first day their paths had crossed. It seemed so obvious to her, why couldn't everyone else comprehend that? Vegeta belonged to her heart, mind, body, and soul. Didn't the others see that? It was so clear in her eyes. She pulled her head back and looked up at the baffled Saiyan.

"Vegeta," she whispered hoarsely as she reached up and held his face in her hands, "why don't they understand?"

Vegeta felt his stomach flip and the hair on his tail poof straight out as she leaned in and brushed her lips against his gently.

"Why?" she breathed repeatedly as she kissed the corner of his mouth. Vegeta swore his heart stopped as she continued to trail light entreating kisses across his jaw and down his neck. His tail twitched back and forth nervously as heat began to pool in his stomach.

"Vegeta." Bulma called his name softly as she kissed his mouth, pulling him closer encouragingly. Slowly, Vegeta felt his body starting to melt and his eyes sliding closed as he wrapped his arms around her delicate frame. His tail coiled itself tightly around her waist.

Bulma smiled against Vegeta's mouth as she felt his first uncertain response. However, he quickly grew bolder and Bulma began to rake her fingers through his thick dark mane. Heartened by her reaction, Vegeta gradually began exploring her own neck, nipping playfully at her skin as he tasted it.

Vegeta's senses were overwhelmed with the woman's scent as her hair fell around him. Wildflowers, why did she always smell like wildflowers to him? The female's skin was tauntingly sweet and smooth beneath his tongue. Her hair floated around him like a silky blue mist as she ran the tips of her fingers up his spine. He could hear a soft moan escape her as he licked the remains of her tears from her face.

'What is this feeling?' he wondered as his mind became pleasantly clouded. This emotion the female was exuding was unlike anything he had ever come across. He felt like if he let go of her, she would crumble into a million pieces right there in front of him. It was as if his arms were the only things holding her together.

She felt so small and weak; it should have repulsed him. Saiyan women were never weak; they never gave off this powerful sense of need like this female currently was. A need simply to be held and comforted, a need for his presence. The woman's spirit and strength had intrigued Vegeta in the past, but now he felt drawn to her by her weakness. No one had ever required him like this before, in the desperate manor that this little one did. It was intoxicating, her demand for his strength and his willingness to give it. It was a feeling so contrary to his Saiyan mind, yet undeniably pleasing. Why was the thought of aiding and protecting something as fragile as her, so appealing to him?

"Can you hear it?" Bulma mumbled as she kissed his mouth. "Can you really hear my heart?"

She could feel her heartbeat pounding so intensely that she thought for sure that it would explode out of her chest at any minute. Vegeta pulled his head back to look at her, breaking the kiss. Slowly, his mind cleared a bit and he reached up and stroked her cheek thoughtfully. Their flushed faces were only inches apart.

"What is this about, little one?" he sighed. It's not as if he wasn't enjoying himself, but he was feeling rather confused. He waited quietly for the woman to answer him.

Bulma took a deep breath and brushed her hair back. Then, she lightly kissed his forehead. "It's nothing for you to worry about, Vegeta." She smiled tiredly as she leaned back against the wall. "I'm going to find a way to fix everything for us, okay?"

Vegeta looked at her questioningly as she stood up, quickly straightening her hair and clothes.

"Just leave it all to me." Bulma whispered as she gave the Saiyan one last brief kiss and left the chamber. Nobody trifled with her like this! If those buffoons thought she was just going give up and let them have their way, they had another thing coming! She quickly raced down the hallway with a determined look on her face, the first person she needed to talk to now was Yamcha.

Vegeta watched Bulma march out of the time chamber and then sat back against the wall. His tail curled and uncurled rapidly beside him. After a few moments of silence, he couldn't take it anymore.

"What the hell woman?!" he shouted at the empty room.

* * *

*blush* I'm too embarrassed to say anything now. XD Thanks for reading and please review. Oh crabcakes, I think I got a nose bleed writing this.

J.W. Appel: Thanks hun! Just to let you know, I did start writing the next chapter of Tempas Terror but I'm not sure when I'll have it posted.

Project Shadow: Thanks! Drama is not my forte...

Darkangl28: Sorry... but not really. Um, hope this chappy makes you happy!

Loisen: Thank you! We still have a little ways to go. =D

gege: Thanks, lol. hope this one makes you happy too.

TeamNorthman: This chappy help remedy you blues? Ah! I always cry during those episodes, and the ones where Frieza kills him too. *sniffs* Although the later scenario also includes me flying into a scary homicidal rage against all thing Ice-jin and purple.

Unlisshed: I aim to please. You'll see what happens *evil grin* lol, Veggie man has peeps? lol hope Vegeta's presence in this chappy makes up for it!

VBR~


	23. Chapter 23

This chapter is a bit longer than the others, but I really didn't want to split it up. I'm sure you guys won't complain. Thanks for all the reviews so far! You guys got me so revved up, I got this bit done today too! Hope you all enjoy. =D

I don't own it if it's not mine, that would include DBZ.

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Chapter 22

Yamcha shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he absently stirred his coffee. Both his chair and his coffee were fine; it was the angry blue-haired woman sitting across the table from him that was making him squirm. Yamcha had seen that determined look on Bulma's face before. It meant she was aching for a fight, and neither 'hell nor high water' was going to keep her from getting what she wanted.

The two of them were sitting in his apartment at the kitchen table. A little while after she had left him in Malone's office, Bulma had hunted him down and dragged him from the lab back to his apartment. Which brought them to where they were now. Bulma had unsuccessfully raided his cupboards looking for something stronger than coffee while he cowered in the corner. Finally, she had given up and sat down at the table, but her mood had become even scarier.

Yamcha's survival instincts were warning him to get out of there, but he was afraid Bulma would dismember him if she caught him trying to sneak out.

"Why?" She growled suddenly. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I-I didn't want to upset you." Yamcha mumbled apologetically.

Bulma sighed and dropped her head in her hands. "But I've been doing so much with Vegeta, he's really come far. You know he can read our language now? And he…"

"How would I know that Bulma?" Yamcha demanded, standing up. "You've barely been handing in any reports the last few months. The ones you have turned in have only been about his physical stats. You can't blame the committee for wanting to quit when we haven't turned in any useful new data in months."

Bulma stared up at him in surprise. Was that really true? So much had happened these last few months, but it hadn't been stuff she could really write in a report.

"What was I supposed to tell them?" she asked, her voice trembling. "The committee doesn't care that Vegeta likes to steal my cookies, or that he has friends back home named Kakarott and Raditz. They don't want to know that his favorite color is blue and that sometimes he chews on his tail while he sleeps…"

Bulma sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve, a habit that annoyed Yamcha to no end.

"Vegeta can't leave, Yamcha." She hiccuped. "He's been here for almost a whole year. We can send him back to his time but his tribe will probably have moved on by now. Who knows what will happen if we send him back and he's all alone? You could be sentencing him to death if you send him back now!"

"I think Vegeta's pretty tough babe." Yamcha reassured her as he sat back down. It was true that if they sent Vegeta back, he wouldn't return to the same moment that as when the Saiyan had left. When he went back, he would find that about the same amount of time had passed in his time as the length of his stay here. In other words, when Vegeta returned to his own time he would arrive a little less than a year after he had left. Based on what Yamcha had seen of the Saiyan's abilities though, he was pretty sure that Vegeta could take care of himself just fine. "He'll find a way to catch up with his friends, babe."

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Bulma screamed at him, her hands clenched tightly at her side. "Vegeta can't leave! He can't leave me!"

Yamcha's eyes widened in surprise as he watched Bulma stomp towards the door. Her expression was wild and tears were beginning to show in her eyes again. Quickly jumping to his feet, Yamcha grabbed her and turned her around to face him. He held her shoulders gently but firmly as he tried to catch her gaze, but her eyes stubbornly refused to meet with his.

"Oh, Bulma." Yamcha sighed sadly as he hugged her. "What's gotten into you?"

"It's all wrong Yamcha." She whispered into his chest. "I can't let him go."

"But the committee funds all of our work, babe." Yamcha rubbed her back as he rocked her slightly back and forth. "That means that they get to call all of the shots because they own everything."

"No they don't! Vegeta is mine! They can't take him away from me." Bulma hissed through her tears. "He's mine, he's mine, he's mine……"

Startled by this behavior, Yamcha lifted her chin to look at him. A wave of worry and concern engulfed him as he listened to her words. Just what had been going on with those two?

"Bulma, why don't you tell me what's really been going on between you and Vegeta these last couple months?" he said softly as he guided her over to the couch and wrapped a blanket around her. Bulma looked up at him like a lost child and simply nodded.

* * *

For the next two hours, with a box of tissues in her lap and her head resting against Yamcha's shoulder, Bulma answered all of his questions. She told him everything that had happened between her and Vegeta, the things that Vegeta had told her, everything.

When she was done, Yamcha rested his chin on the top of her head and sighed. His brow knit together in concentration as he sorted through what Bulma had told him. What a mess, he frowned.

"What am I going to do, Yamcha?" Bulma asked despondently as she closed her eyes. Too much had happened today, she couldn't think anymore. She just knew that she couldn't give up.

"Well," Yamcha's tone was deep and tired, "if you love him, I guess you'll-"

"I never said that I love him." Bulma sat upright and turned to face him. "I said that he's mine."

Yamcha looked at her quizzically. "Don't you know what that means, babe?"

"W-what what means?" Bulma's eyes shifted uncertainly as she pulled the blanket tighter around her.

"Don't you know what it means when you want to possess somebody completely?" Yamcha's voice was stern as he spoke to her. "When you want to know all kinds of little things about a person and you don't want anybody else to know about them?"

"But I never said…" Bulma mumbled. She suddenly felt very small and foolish.

"No, you said that you owned Vegeta. But, falling in love tends to make us feel happy and sometimes happiness makes us want to be selfish." Yamcha shrugged. "Still, calling love by another name doesn't change what it really is." Bulma looked at him, fear filling her eyes. So that was why it had hurt so bad when they told her Vegeta had to leave, because her heart had been breaking inside of her right then. She swallowed a rising lump in her throat. Now there was no way she could let Vegeta go.

"I won't be able to stand it if I loose him, Yamcha." She hung her head in despair and shame. How could she be so pathetic?

Yamcha watched her sympathetically. "I wish I could fix this for you, babe. But, I can't."

"I don't know what to do." She whimpered.

"If you really love him," Yamcha stroked her hair gently, "you'll do whatever is best for him."

Bulma bit her lip as she contemplated this. What was best for Vegeta? Wasn't it obvious? The best thing was for him to stay here with her. If he went back, he'd be all alone. How would that be any good?

"As for the rest of it, I wouldn't tell anyone else about Vegeta's being an alien." Yamcha yawned and stretched in his seat. "If Ramassen knew about that, he wouldn't stop until he had Vegeta wide open on his dissection table." Bulma paled as she thought of the gruesome scene. That creep wasn't getting anywhere near her Vegeta!

"You know, it was Ramassen's idea to send Vegeta back actually. I'm not supposed to know about it, but he's the one who suggested finding a new target to the committee." Yamcha informed her. "I guess he was getting bored with Vegeta."

"Why?" Bulma asked, startled.

"I think he wanted to be the one doing the field work, since it's a bit more prestigious in the eyes of the committee, but Vegeta was too intimidating for him to handle." Yamcha considered. "The committee wants to take the project public soon and Ramassen managed to convince them that they needed a more sensational target than a Saiyan for their debut."

"That jerk!" Bulma leapt to her feet determined to find Ramassen and give him a piece of her mind, and likely her fist as well.

"Sit back down!" Yamcha pulled her back to her seat and shook his head. "Blowing your top won't do any good. Besides, this would have happened sooner or later anyway. We never planned on keeping Vegeta here forever."

Bulma flopped back on to the couch with an indignant huff. After a moment, she turned to Yamcha quizzically. "When you said I should do what's best for Vegeta, were you hinting at something?"

"I just meant that what you want may not be what Vegeta wants. Think about it Bulma, the guy had a life before he came here, he probably wants to get back to it." Yamcha scratched his head and took a deep breath. He could already see Bulma's eyes narrowing threateningly. She didn't take being told that she might be wrong very well.

"And what would you know about it?" she hissed. Yamcha winced at the venom in her voice.

"More than you'd think." He responded, his tone sounding slightly hurt and bitter. "You see, a long time ago there was this girl that I loved. She was the perfect girl, beautiful, smart, and witty. Being with her always made me happy, even if we were fighting. I had never wanted anyone so much before I met her. She was the center of my whole world. I couldn't get through a single day without seeing her pretty face and hearing her sweet voice."

Bulma sent him a confused look. "What happened?" she whispered.

"I broke up with her." Yamcha answered unhappily. "I trust you remember that part?"

Bulma's eyes opened wide and her jaw dropped. "W-wait, you mean me?" she stuttered and pointed to herself. "But if that was how you felt then why did you…?"

Yamcha sighed heavily. "Because, that was what was best for you. You might have been my dream girl, but it was pretty clear that I wasn't your prince charming. After a while, I just realized I wasn't going to be able to keep you happy, no matter how hard I tried." He stared at the carpet ruefully. "I didn't want to be the only one happy in our relationship. I guess you were just always too fast for me Bulma, I couldn't keep up."

"But, that doesn't make any sense." Bulma cried. When you loved someone, you wanted to be with them all the time, no matter what! Didn't you? How could you ever possibly give up the person that made you feel whole? It would be like loosing a limb.

"When you're really truly in love with someone," Yamcha smiled softly, "and you have to choose between your happiness and theirs, you may find yourself doing a lot of things that don't seem to make sense. Sometimes just knowing that the person you love is happy is enough to make up for any sacrifice."

"Even if it means you'll be alone and unhappy for the rest of your life?" Bulma challenged.

Yamcha blinked in surprise. "Who said you have to be alone and unhappy forever? Look at me, I gave up an amazing girl that I still treasure, but I'm not lonely and miserable. Yeah, it still stings a bit, but now I have a girlfriend that I love and that I can be happy with." Yamcha looked at her; his voice was insistent and honest. "She may not be you, but she loves me and we're really good together. Plus, I got to keep our friendship, that's something worth being happy about." Feeling rather embarrassed now, Yamcha stood up and started looking around for his coat.

"I thought you said love makes people selfish." Bulma muttered as she stared down at her hands.

"No, I said happiness makes us selfish." Yamcha picked up his coat. "When we're happy, it makes us feel good but then we get greedy sometimes. We start to want to be happy all the time no matter what the cost. A relationship can't last like that."

"So, you think that if two people are happy together, their relationship won't last?" Bulma sneered. This was absurd really. Did Yamcha think you could only stay with someone if you were miserable? How absurd!

"No, if they really love each other it'll work out."

"How will that make things ok?" Bulma frowned.

"Because, love makes you strong enough to give up your happiness." Yamcha said calmly. Bulma puzzled over this as he slipped his coat on.

"But what do I know?" Yamcha coughed, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. He had his face turned away but Bulma could still see that he was blushing deeply. "Don't worry babe, if Vegeta means that much to you, I'm sure you'll figure this thing out. But remember to think about his feelings too. Anyway, I need to get back to the lab now. You can stay here if you want, just lock up if you decide to leave, okay?"

Bulma nodded mutely from the couch. Yamcha quickly bid her goodbye and left the apartment, leaving Bulma alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Yay! Chappy 22 is done! Yeah, Yamcha is not a jerk in this story. I really don't think he was one in DBZ either, just a little cocky perhaps. Though I have to plead guilty to Yamcha bashing in some of my other stories, so this one is my redemption. Anyway, Thanks for reading! and remember:

** R LUV=:)VBR; :)VBR=CH.23! And you know you all want to have CH.23!**

To all my dear reviewers:

_J.W. Appel: =D No, I like anime. When it's real people, it ceases to be anime and I cease to be interested. lol_

**gege: Thanks, I'm on a roll!**

_buenachica88: Thank you, lol. Veggies tail is fun. Makes him even better somehow. lol, Bulma doesn't pull off the damsel in distress bit real well, she's too much like Veggie for it. *VBR reads next part of review, her thought process: Vegeta is Spinach, Bulma is Popeye... * that will keep me smiling all week. Um, yes, B and Y were together. B gives her story of what happened between them in chapter 12 and Yamcha's viewpoint is here. hehe, you'll see... Thanks!  
_

**duoai: greetings! Thank you, glad you like it. No worries. I'm working my tail off to finish this one soon. =D**

_TeamNorthman: heheh, thanks. Bulma isn't one to be messed with, that's for sure. lol Glad you like it =)  
_

**Angeliss: Yeah, I've been a busy bee. lol, you're welcome, hope this is also to your liking.**

_MK08: *blushes and hangs head* I couldn't help myself! lol, I forgot about Yowza. I like that. hehe, Bulma is kinda muddled but she's not a push over. I think that's why I like her. She's got spunk. lol, yeah. I couldn just see Vegeta doing that after Bulma got him all hot and bothered and then walked out. Not very considerate of her.  
_

**VxB lover: Lady it is then! Yay!****  
VBR: Muhahahaha! Yes, little one, I will make it all well. *evil smirk*****  
Vegeta: *frowns critically* The smirk is good, but you need a bit more work on the laugh.  
VBR: Ai ai! Coach!  
****lol, er yeah. VBR is rather embarrassed about last chappy. She can't read it without blushing. Sorry about that, Capsule Corp can pick up the medical bills... Oh, their just going to send him back to his time. This chappy touched more on that so I hope Bulma's concerns are clear now, if not just tell me. Ah, a perceptive reader, that or an ESPer. I presented things that way on purpose. Bulma loves Veggie but she hasn't really thought much about his feelings just yet. It all works out though, Muwahahahahahahah!  
Vegeta: That was a little better...  
**

_Rraz45: lol, hope this is fast enough. Please enjoy and thank you!_

**Project Shadow: lol thanks! *blush* ah yeeaah, hehe. X3 I surprised myself on that one. lol, I couldn't resist puting that in. Veggie still has no clue what is going on...**

**Hugs all!**

**VBR~  
**


	24. Chapter 24

This chappy came out longer than the others, but I doubt any of you'll mind.

I don't own DBZ. Now, without future ado...

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Chapter 23

Bulma drummed her fingers against her car's steering wheel as she sat lost in thought. Her mind was a confused and muddled mess. But it was still clearer than her heart; Bulma had no clue how to sort out the cacophony of screaming emotions inside of her.

She had stayed at Yamcha's place for a while but had decided to leave before he returned home. Since then, she'd been driving aimlessly around the city for hours. Now, it was well past midnight and she found herself sitting alone in the lab's empty parking lot. She hadn't meant to come here, her car just seemed to end up here of its own accord. She wasn't really surprised though, she could drive the rout to the lab in her sleep from any point in the city without any trouble; it was a destination hardwired into her brain. Besides, she could feel a magnetic pull inside of her, drawing her towards the building. Bulma knew the source of that magnetism, that irresistible energy that was luring her in, like a moth to a flame.

Vegeta.

She bit her lip nervously as she thought about the Saiyan. What was he doing right now? Was he asleep? Perhaps, he was still sitting against the wall of the chamber waiting for her to return. She closed her eyes and imagined Vegeta standing in front of her. 'What would he look like in regular men's clothing?' she wondered. Currently, Vegeta always wore the fur covered skin garments that he had on when he arrived. But, Bulma was willing to bet he would look amazing in a pair of black pants and a half-buttoned long-sleeved dress shirt. Although, Bulma had to admit that Vegeta's Saiyan attire did give him a certain primal air of raw masculinity she found most savory.

She blushed, forget it. If she dressed Vegeta up and took him out somewhere, she'd have to beat the other women off of him with a stick. Then she'd get arrested and Vegeta wound probably maim somebody; it would be a fiasco through and through.

Shaking her head, she got out of her car and made her way in towards the building. Fumbling with her keys in the dim lighting, she let herself in through the back door.

"That's odd." she mumbled, noticing that the alarm was already off as she entered. Yamcha must have been the last one out, he never remembered to set the alarm.

Slipping through the hallways as quietly as a mouse, Bulma made her way to the time chamber's control room. Not bothering to turn on the lights, she pulled up a chair and punched a few commands into the computer. Then, she reached over to the speaker's volume control and turned the sound up. She had disabled the time chamber's cameras a while back, but she left the intercom intact. Normally, the intercom would only work if someone inside the chamber pushed the talk button. However, she had programmed in an override code that only she and Yamcha knew. She strained her ears for several minutes but she was unable to pick up any sound. Maybe, Vegeta was asleep after all.

Finely giving in, she got up and walked down to the chamber's entrance. She winced as she stepped inside the chamber and heard the doors swish close behind her. The normally quiet sound seemed thunderous to her ears now. Why did they have to make so much noise?

Hardly daring to breathe, she scanned the room until her eyes alighted on Vegeta's sleeping form. He was sprawled on his back across the bed, his right arm behind his head and his left resting across his chest. Treading lightly to his side, Bulma sat down gently on the edge of the bed. 'What are you thinking?' she wondered as she watched him dream.

Even from this distance she couldn't hear him breathing, although she could see the even rise and fall of his chest. With delicate fingers, she reached out and stroked his face. She smiled as she idly traced the outline of his features. Was it wrong to want to keep something that made you happy?

True, she wanted what was best for Vegeta, but she wanted what was best for her too. Bulma frowned, surely the best thing for both of them was to be together, right? That meant Vegeta should stay with her, the answer was as clear as day. They belonged together; he was the missing piece in her life. How many people went through life without ever finding their other half? Without knowing how it felt to be whole? She couldn't just throw this away; it was a one-time opportunity.

Yamcha was a fool! How dare he compare some high school crush he had had on her with her feelings for Vegeta! Whatever he had felt about her, it was nothing like this. She could never be happy with someone other than Vegeta, not after experiencing this. Her eyes blurred with tears as her fingers ran down Vegeta's neck and gently over his chest. Yamcha didn't understand, he was wrong!

He was wrong, he was wrong, he was…

Bulma gave a startled gasp as she felt someone grab her hand. She came out of her daze to find Vegeta staring up at her curiously, lightly griping her wandering hand in his own. His onyx eyes were calm and relaxed as he regarded her.

"That wasn't nice, little one." He grumbled. His tone was husky and edged with sleep.

"W-what wasn't?" Bulma trembled. She tried to swallow but her throat felt unusually dry at the moment.

"Leaving." He answered and pulled her forward so she fell down onto his chest. He placed one arm around her waist, holding her securely against him.

Bulma blushed and looked away. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that."

"Not good enough." He smirked as his tail wrapped itself around her thigh. Bulma closed her eyes and swallowed as he used his free hand to turn her face back towards him. Her breath hitched and her face burned as she felt him softly kiss her mouth.

She sighed, Yamcha really thought that she could let something like this go?

Vegeta frowned and pulled back when he heard her sigh. "You have not told me what's wrong yet, woman." he huffed. He wasn't about to let her get him all worked up and then leave again. Once was entirely too flustering, twice would drive him mad.

"Vegeta, please don't leave!" the words tore from Bulma's lips before she could stop them.

Vegeta chuckled in amusement, "Foolish female, where can I go?"

Bulma looked at him with pleading eyes. "With me." She whispered.

Bulma's hands trembled as she cupped his chin and brushed the lightest of kisses over his lips. "Vegeta, will you go with me?"

Vegeta froze in place as she repeated her question over and over. Kissing him gently each time.

"I want you to come with me. I want you to stay with me," she breathed in his ear, "forever. Please?"

Vegeta sat up and pushed her off of him, but kept his hands firmly on her shoulders. His eyes were troubled as he looked at her appraisingly.

"What do you want?" he finally rasped. He was sick of this female being such an enigma. What was she getting at? What did she want?

"You." Bulma answered simply. "I want you to be mine."

Vegeta's eyes wavered slightly. This little female wanted him as a mate? Her forwardness did not shock him, since Saiyan women were also quite bold. But, he still felt a bit blindsided by this turn of events. "Do you know what you're asking?" he demanded.

"I'm asking you to come away from this place with me, tomorrow. We can go anywhere you want, just the two of us." She begged. "I know I'm not a Saiyan and, shoot, we're not even from the same planet, but please, Vegeta. Please, stay with me."

Vegeta's tail twitched thoughtfully. He could finally leave this wretched prison? That possibility alone was more than enough to make him say yes. But, the female wanted him to go with her? To _stay_ with her? A small shiver of excitement ran through him. Still, he needed to be clear on this.

"You want me to go with you," he spoke carefully, "as your mate?"

Bulma's cheeks colored, but she nodded. There was no point in being bashful about it, she told herself. Besides, she didn't have time to worry about saving face.

"I-if you want to." She stared down at her lap, too scared to breathe. If Vegeta said no, she was sure she would simply die right there. The pain would kill her instantly.

Vegeta remained silent. Even though he could feel a raging eagerness tearing at his insides to say yes, he hesitated. Wasn't this what he wanted? Hadn't he contemplated taking the female as a mate on several occasions before? So what was wrong? His people were gone; he had no idea how or if he would ever get home. He wasn't actually sure if it was even possible for him to return to his time. That meant he should just make the best of things, didn't it? He wanted the woman and she was willingly offering herself to him, it seemed perfect. Then to top it off, he would finally be free of this place. So, what was holding him back?

He gazed at Bulma thoughtfully. Then it hit him, it was her. Somehow, her behavior wasn't right. There was something that she was keeping from him. He studied her suspiciously and checked her scent. He could hear her heart pounding and her breath racing, she was scared. He didn't believe she was frightened because she was lying to him about something, but rather she was afraid he would say no. Yet, if she meant what she said, then why was she hiding something from him? Vegeta frowned as he watched her carefully for a long time before he answered.

"Alright." He nodded.

Bulma felt her heart leap to her throat as her eyes snapped up to look at him. Had she heard right? Did he really say yes?

"Y-you really will stay with me?" she asked, fearful that she had misheard. Vegeta just rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Although if you're loosing your hearing, perhaps I should reconsider. I don't want a mate who's going deaf." He smirked, expecting her to snap at him. But Bulma wasn't even listening; the cheering in her head was too loud for her to hear. Everything around her seemed to fall away. For the first time in her life, she understood what it meant to be walking on air. With a happy laugh, she threw her arms around Vegeta and kissed him.

Vegeta grinned as he returned the favor. Just this once, he decided, he would trust her. He would let the woman do things her way this one and only time. Besides, he smirked, once he was out of here he could finally get his revenge on those three males.

When Bulma left the chamber that night, her mind was already racing with plans. But even in her excitement, she felt the nagging tug of Yamcha's words. Shrugging it off, she locked the door of the building and headed for her car.

Meanwhile, in the time chamber's control room, a small red light glowed on the computer counsel. Silently, a hand reached over and flicked the power off on the intercom that Bulma had left on. The little red light faded away as did the soft hum of the speakers. The hand's owner sat quietly in the dark room as he listened to the silence. He was glad that Bulma hadn't remembered to turn the alarm on when she left, it would have been a pain to go downstairs and disarm it for a second time that night.

He had come down to the control room because he'd thought he heard an odd noise. The noise turned out to be the voices of Bulma and the Saiyan coming through the intercom. He wasn't sure why the intercom was running, but it was an extraordinary stroke of luck for him. Working late had paid off for once, as he had been able to hear a _most interesting_ conversation between the chamber's two occupants. His dark green eyes flashed in the dark.

"How very _intriguing_." Ramassen grinned. He could definitely use this.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Only a couple of chapters left now. Please remember to review, it makes me feel inspired when I hear from you guys. =3

To my lovelies that reviewed last time:

VeryShortMidget : lol, thanks for all the comments. Glad you're enjoying the story, things are just about to wrap up now.=D

Nintendocat: I wanted to cut Yamcha a break, he's really not so bad. lol, things are getting complicated huh? Ah, but that is drama for ya. =) Fear not, I have a plan, as does Bulma! Thank you very much. Oh, I have something 'special' planned for Ramassen... *evil laugh*

MK08: lol, Thank you! He's like a big dumb puppy huh? cute but not for keeps. hope this new bit is to your liking, take care!

Loisen: I like it too, thanks!

Rraz45: thanks and I will!

Unlisshed: hehe, me too. Oh wait, I'm supposed to know already...

VxB lover: I promise a satisfactory ending ok? thank you and enjoy!

Kisara: Thank you very much. You are most kind, please enjoy this update. =D

Angeliss: Yeah, I tried to make him be a decent guy. thank you!

Project Shadow: Squee! thanks! XP

gege: lol, I'm on a roll! Thank you, hope you like the update!

Strefe: YAY! Evil squirrel minions! XD Me likes them! Well of course he does, one way or another. Thank you very much! *bows* V&B were definitely a stroke of genius, I don't know if I'd like DBZ that much with out them. They make the show for me. Humm, I'm not telling so you'll just have to wait.=P as for Ram, well fate has a funny way of dealing with folks like him...

XxKuroyoxX: hence why I'm behind on my reading, I've spent all my time writing. I want to finish this before school starts again. But we'll see. lol, love the pretend! hehe, punching people for fun, sounds about what I was aiming for. =D hehe, I like B getting Vegman all hot and bothered than leaving. So fun. hehehe, yes, I'm guilty of being a Yamch basher as well. It's just sooo easy!! lol, YAY! I's is AWESOME! lol, you too =D Humm, yep. With homeschooling here you get pretty much free rein of what you do, I finished high school a few years early. Yes, the recession hit bad here, my town especially has a really high unemployment rate. But, I'm not living under a bridge yet so I don't worry about it. lol, yes most entertaining. hehehe isn't it fun to win? =D

SparklyTea: thank you, I hope to finish this fic soon. =D lol, obsessive is right.


	25. Chapter 25

R&R Please! =D

It's a fanfiction, therefore I'm a fan not an owner.

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Chapter 24

Bulma tossed and turned on her bed, waiting for the morning to finally come. She watched as the minutes dragged by slowly on her bedroom clock. She swore more than once that time had actually stopped for a while. This was agony!

She had already done every thing she could think of as far as preparations went. She had packed two suitcases full of clothes and put them in the trunk of her car, which now had a full tank of gas. She had then called up an old friend that lived along the coast and who owed her a favor. He happened to be a pilot and owned his own small plane. In payment of the owed favor, he had agreed to fly her and one other person anywhere Bulma wanted to go. Then for a payment, he agreed to keep his mouth shut about the whole thing. Bulma wasn't sure if the committee would bother to seriously chase after her and Vegeta or not, but she planned to cover her tracks just incase. In addition to all this, she had also cashed in everything she could think of and closed out all of her accounts.

Simply put, the plan was that she and Vegeta would just disappear.

The main problem, though, was in getting Vegeta out of the time chamber. Sure, it seemed simple enough, open the doors and walk out. But it wasn't that easy, and no one knew that better than Bulma.

The time chamber was not a time machine; it was a time _void_. You couldn't use it to just take a casual trip through time. It was like a neutral, or free zone, in the time line. When they had transported him, Vegeta was trapped inside its barrier and simply held there. Technically, the Saiyan wasn't in, or a part of, Bulma's time. This was part of the reason he couldn't leave the chamber and the energy barrier had to remain up at all times. The chamber was like a trapdoor in the time line. If you opened it at the right time and place, someone would fall through the space time continuum and into the free space inside the chamber.

However, as long as they were in the chamber, the person would remain bonded to their time. It was only by leaving the chamber that they would become bonded to the present. This was why the chamber used so much energy; it took massive amounts of power to anchor the displaced object or person to the present in this environment. It was also why, if the chamber's barrier was broken for any reason, the occupants inside would be immediately jerked back to their own time.

Bulma frowned and bit her lip as she thought.

According to what she had learned, any object, upon leaving the chamber, should automatically fuse to the present time without any incident. However, since the chamber was basically an artificially created time void, it was highly unstable. It needed to have something inside of it or it would collapse. Kind of like a balloon with no air. It's energy flow was based on what Bulma had termed the drag factor.

People and things were, plainly stated, not meant to travel through time, which was why they were so strongly bonded to it. If a person was removed from their time, but failed to fuse with another time, they would automatically be drawn back to where they originally belonged.

The barrier's main job was to counteract this powerful pull. Removing an object from the chamber would mean removing the drag, and that would cause the system to overload. The barrier would no longer have anything inside it, causing the void to become unstable and then explode. Hence what happened to Kato when he removed the rock.

It was escaping that explosion safely that had Bulma worried.

Last time, the explosion had been strong enough to destroy the chamber and the entire building. This chamber was significantly larger than the first one, which meant it could be a much larger blast. Though she had added a few safety features in case of another incident, she had some doubts about her modifications. The overflow circuits may or may not be strong enough to contain the blast. There were no test runs with these sorts of things, unfortunately. Besides, one way or another, Bulma knew that there would be a blast. And it would be deadly for anyone standing directly in front of the chamber.

Bulma didn't want to end up like Kato.

She groaned and got up to take a shower. It was ridiculous to even pretend to sleep right now. All she could do was hope her shield belts would hold, and that Vegeta and her could run fast enough not to get buried under the debris. Then, if they were really luck, they could just slip away. The committee already said they had no more use for Vegeta, and surely they wouldn't trust her to work for them after this.

She planned to drop the time chamber's blue prints and building instructions, something only she had seen, in the mail to Yamcha on her way out morning. The committee could have Yamcha rebuild their chamber for them, and she would quietly fade into oblivion.

Stepping into the shower, she sighed as the steamy water hit her skin. It would all work out, she assured herself. This was the best way, the only way. Still, a nagging little voice in the back of her head, one that sounded suspiciously like Yamcha, was scolding her. It was true that if it weren't for her, Vegeta could go back to his home. Make that would be going back to his home. True he would be arriving almost a year after he left, but it probably really wouldn't be that hard for Vegeta to track down the other Saiyans, though she loathed to admit it. Chances were, he would be just fine and track them down without much trouble at all.

He would be where he belonged, with his family and his friends.

Bulma swallowed a growing lump in her throat. No! He had said he wanted to stay here, right? So that made everything ok, didn't it? She had asked him and he said yes.

He said yes...

'But you didn't tell him he could go home if he wanted.' Her conscience struck her. 'You didn't tell him the truth.'

Bulma squeezed her eyes shut and screamed. No, she didn't want to hear it! She refused to listen to this.

'You lied, you lied, you lied, you lied…' the voice inside her chanted. Her knees trembled violently and she sank, sobbing, to the floor.

No, no, no. It wasn't like that. She had asked him and he had said he would stay with her. He had said yes, yes that he wanted to be with her. And now, they could be together. Wasn't that all that mattered? She made him happy didn't she? And Vegeta made her happy. God, how he made her happy! She cried as she hugged her knees to her chest. He made her feel happy, made her feel warm and delicate. She couldn't lose him. She swallowed and closed her eyes as tears and hot water washed down her face. "Just this once." she whispered.

Just this once…

If she could just keep this one precious thing…

Her most important person…

To be able to hold him in her hands…

To stay by his side…

To watch him as he dreamed…

To kiss him when he woke…

And to tell him only the nicest things…

Forever…

This one very precious thing…

Locked away in her heart…

Her precious precious thing…

Then this one time…

This one final time…

She would be selfish.

She would keep this happiness that she had found.

Even if it was wrong…

She would covet this very precious thing.

For this one act…

She would gladly spend the rest of her days in penance.

She swore that never again would she ask for anything.

Her life would be spent shedding tears and blood…

Experiencing pain and anguish…

And sacrificing all pleasures and desires.

All to repay this one sin…

This single act of greed…

That she would happily commit.

Because he…

Her most precious person…

Was worth it.

* * *

Thanks! Only one more chappy to go, maybe two. Anywho, big finally next update! Ya wanna know what happens? Than remember to send me some luv!=D This is shameless yes, but I'm still doing it. lol.

* * *

alysia16: Thanks! Pleas enjoy =D

Darkangl28: You will know all next chappy. I think I got a good ending planned. ^^ Thank you!

VxB lover: That's the spirit! But no hints… lol, thank you and enjoy the update. Oh, me too. I'd get whacked many times…

Rraz45: hahaha, that was good no? thanks and enjoy!

hopelessly_demented: lol, Thanks! Although, I hope they were somewhat entertaining before this…=S

gege: lol, glad you liked it. Thank you =D

Unlisshed: lol, sorry about that… well not really. =D Thank you!

VeryShortMidget: I am a VxB forever fan, therefore! V must x B! lol, that made sense to me but idk… anyway, it'll be good. =D hehe, evil aren't I? ]=D

MK08: You'll see… lol, of course you were! It's a drama right? =D

J.W. Appel: I'm a little surprised you're reading this. Won't peg it as you type of story. Oh well. Lol, yeah well I'm a big Veggie can so of course I don't believe he's a monster. Um, personally? I think Vggie is major OCD. When he's focused on something (like the android he wanted to beat so bad -_-') he's 100% oblivious to everything around him. I really don't think he was just playing dumb when he asked who Mirai Trunks was talking about. If he had and just didn't bother to save them I don't think he would have pretended to be confused and asked "Save who?" Feigning ignorance is not something Veggie would do, he's too proud. I really don't think it registered with him that Bulma and baby were in danger. His harsh words afterwards also seem more like they were meant to protect his pride and assure himself that he hadn't slipped up than be an expression of any true sentiment. Vegeta deludes himself a lot… so sad. =(

buenachica88: thank you =) She'd have to hit me too. Hope you understand now, there's more about it in the first chapter too. X( Yeah, I know it has been a while… stupid school.

SparklyTea: Yup! Thanks for the review!

TeamNorthman: lol, glad to hear it! Thank you! Heh, me to. =P

XxKuroyoxX: lol, wow! Got you riled! Hehe, I'm not telling!! You'll see next chappy. =D Harley Potato Kabab Pokey? I love that. Especially Potato!

Nintendocat: Thanks, lol. You'll know all shortly.

Project Shadow: Oooo, a jaw drop! Thank you very much =D


	26. Chapter 26

Here it is! The one you have been waiting for!

Obviously, DBZ does NOT belong to me. Now READ THE FIC!!

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Chapter 25

Bulma sat silently at her kitchen table as she watched the sun come up. Her softly trembling hands were wrapped around a steaming coffee cup. Her lips curved into a gentle smile as she took a relaxing sip. She liked coffee; the familiar smell seemed soothing somehow. It was like spotting an old friend while being lost in a foreign country. Her mind and heart were traveling through areas that she had never been to before, so it was nice to experience something so habitual for a moment. She wanted to enjoy this quiet moment of peace before the storms started.

Finally, she looked up at her clock and decided it was time to go. She picked up her purse and a few other items and headed for the door. Just as she was about to walk out, she paused. Setting her stuff down, she walked back to her room and opened the top dresser drawer.

"Better safe than sorry." She sighed as she picked up a thin black metal object and slipped it into her pocket. It was just incase, she told herself as she left the apartment. There wouldn't really be any reason to use it. It was merely a precaution.

It was her plan B.

* * *

Bulma had never been real great at making it to work on time, so she supposed that the shocked looks she received when she showed up a half-hour early shouldn't have surprised her. Still, she swore every eye in the place was on her. Her heart had started beating like a drum the minute she stepped foot into the building. Swallowing dryly, she made a beeline for the time chamber. At this rate, her nerves wouldn't hold out much longer.

It was a path she had walked down more times than she could count. But, the simple course from her office down to the chamber had never seemed so long and fraught with peril. Usually, Bulma didn't even notice what was going on around her on her way to see Vegeta. But now, every person she met and every sound she heard seemed like some approaching doom coming to squash her plans.

Finally, she reached her destination, waving to Yamcha in the control room she then proceeded to punch in her access code the same as she always did. This time however, her hands were shaking as she pressed the buttons. Bulma swore her knees were about to give out as the doors slid open. With faltering steps, she entered the chamber to find Vegeta waiting calmly for her. Her fists clenched when she spotted him. Why was he so freaking placid looking?

Vegeta watched in amusement as the female tried to compose herself. He could tell she wanted to yell at him. He smirked, he was excited but he was used to the feeling. It was the same rush he got when he was about to fight a strong match or begin a big hunt. The adrenaline he could smell coming from the female was a familiar surge he had experienced countless times before. Of course, if the female really wanted him to be more excited, she should have told him what the heck was going on!

"Ready?" Bulma finally asked. Everything would be fine, she assured herself. She just needed to keep it together.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow curiously. 'Ready for what woman?' he wondered. 'Ah, so she wanted to leave now did she?' he realized. Well, that was fine by him, but why was she so nervous? Vegeta puzzled over this as he studied her anxious face. Then it dawned on him, perhaps those other three, the males he had seen before, didn't wish for the two of them to leave. The female was worried about them interfering with her plans. Vegeta smirked arrogantly; really, the woman should know that he could easily handle those weaklings. What was there to fuss about?

"Quit fretting, little one." He growled as he stood up and walked towards her.

Bulma felt her heart pounding a little bit louder with each step Vegeta took. By the time he reached her, she was certain her chest was going to burst. The blood in her ears was rushing so fast she was feeling dizzy. She couldn't hear anything but her own heart now. When he reached her, she stretched out one trembling hand and grasped one of Vegeta's hands as her other reached up to touch his face.

"For luck." She said as she kissed him. Vegeta grunted in surprise and his head filled with a familiar humming sound as his heart started to pound as well. How did she do that to him?

After a long moment, Bulma broke away. There was no point in putting it off, she though as she pulled the two shield belts from inside her jacket. She smiled at Vegeta "Let's go."

Now, Bulma was young and in good shape, so she had never had a heart attack before. But, she swore she suffered the most massive myocardial infarction in the history of medicine when the chamber door didn't open after she pushed the button.

Bulma's mind went completely blank. She couldn't move, couldn't think; shoot, she wasn't even sure she was breathing. All she could do was stand there and listen to the voice that was screaming inside of her head.

'No, no, no, no, no…' it ranted with each beat of her heart. This wasn't supposed to happen, it couldn't be happening!

"Open dang it!" she yelled as she pounded on the control panel. Tears began to fill her eyes and slip down her cheeks. This wasn't right! It wasn't supposed to be like this!

"I'm sorry but it won't open for you." A familiar voice came over the intercom's speakers.

"R-Ramassen?" she stuttered in shock. "What are you doing? Open this door right now!"

"Oh, I'll open it, just so long as the Saiyan stays inside." His reply came back.

"Hey babe? What's going on?" Yamcha's worried voice cut through the room from the intercom just to her right. Yamcha wasn't real sure about why Ramassen had barged in to the control room and started messing with the instruments, but he was getting an awfully bad feeling about it.

"Yamcha!" Bulma shouted.

"Are you okay Bulma?" he asked. Bulma realized that Yamcha could use the override codes she had given him to open the door.

"Yamcha open the door." She pleaded desperately.

Vegeta was standing next to Bulma, his whole body tense with alarm. He was mostly concerned because of Bulma's fearful reaction, but he was also angry because he recognized the voice coming over the speaker. It was one of the guys that had shot him and he was dying to return the favor.

"I suggest you say goodbye to your monkey, Bulma. I don't think we can trust you to work with him anymore." Ramassen said in a mocking tone as he shoved Yamcha out of the way. "Now, come along Bulma. We're going to go have a nice long chat in my office."

Bulma swallowed, based on the cold greedy edge in Ramassen's voice she doubted there would be anything nice about it. Then, to her surprise, Vegeta shoved her back and stepped towards the intercom.

"Sorry, she's busy." Vegeta hissed, his fang-like teeth barred savagely.

Ramassen smiled coldly. "Does the space monkey have something to say too, huh?"

Bulma's eyes widened in astonishment. "S-space?" she repeated, her voice laced with fear.

"Yeah," Ramassen's eyes narrowed as he spoke into the intercom, "I listened you two talking over the intercom last night and heard about you little pet's secret. Thanks for sharing. I wouldn't have known if you hadn't left the microphone on." Yamcha's head snapped up to glare at the other man. Crap! The creep knew?

Inside the chamber, Bulma's sentiments were much the same as Yamcha's. Her mind was caught in a whirlpool, if Ramassen knew, then he wasn't just here to stop her from taking Vegeta away. Her heart froze; he would want to keep Vegeta for more experiments. She dreaded to think what kind of experiments the sadistic man would want to perform. This would be even worse than loosing Vegeta. She had to do something, anything!

Ramassen frowned at her silence. "I can see you're going to insist on being a problem. I didn't want to do this but oh well, you're the one who refused to cooperate." He lifted one hand and pushed a small white button on the control panel. A thick yellow gas began pouring in through the chamber's vents. "I installed a little something in the ventilation system last night just incase we had this sort of issue."

"What is that?" Yamcha demanded as he heard Bulma give a cry of alarm. "What did you do?"

"It's a gas made from the same concoction as the tranquilizer loads the lab guns use." Ramassen laughed. "They should be out soon."

"They could be dead soon!" Yamcha yelled as he grabbed the other man by the collar. "That stuff is not something to play around with, it's dangerous if you use too much! Turn it off NOW!"

Seeing that Ramassen wasn't about to comply, Yamcha punched in one of the override codes to reactivate the chamber's video feed and then flicked on the monitor.

Meanwhile, Bulma screamed and covered her eyes as the nocuous gas poured into the room around her and Vegeta. She waited fearfully to either collapse herself or to hear the dull thump of a body hitting the floor.

But neither ever came.

Hardly daring to breathe, she opened her eyes to see Vegeta causally holding out his left hand. She looked around quizzically and then gasped. All of the gas had been pushed to the other side of the room. It looked like a lager wall of yellow fog that was behind a plane of glass, or some other type of invisible force field.

"Are you doing that?" she whispered as she watched Vegeta in awe.

Looking down at her, he smirked wickedly.

"B-but… how?" The scientist stuttered in disbelief.

Vegeta laughed. "This is child's play. I'm simply using energy to contain the blasted stuff." He crossed his arms proudly. "You can use energy to do anything, woman."

* * *

Inside the control room Yamcha gave a sigh of relief when he saw that they were both all right.

Glaring at the screen, Ramassen swore and turned to leave the room.

"Hey! Where do you think you going?" Yamcha growled as he grabbed the man's arm. Faster than Yamcha could blink, Ramassen swung around and laid him out with vicious uppercut. Yamcha let go and staggered back as his world exploded in stars.

Still swearing, Ramassen raced out of the room, colliding with Malone who was just entering. Pushing past, Ramassen tore down the hallway at top speed. So, the ape boy had a few tricks up his sleeve, did he? Interesting. There was no way he could let this chance escape. He could already see himself being awarded the Nobel Prize and every other scientific award imaginable. With that Saiyan, he could be the most famous scientist of his day. Scratch that, he would be the most renowned man in history. He burst into the lab and grabbed a gun and an empty dart. Crap, he searched frantically through the vials. There wasn't any of the knockout-drug left; he'd used it all to make that useless gas!

Swearing angrily, he jerked another drawer open and quickly selected a vial. Blast it, he was not going to let this chance slip through his fingers. He'd been sitting on a stinking gold mine for months and hadn't realized it until now thanks to that secretive little blue-haired twit. And she dared to call herself a scientist!

"Better a dead space monkey than nothing." He grumbled as he loaded the gun with a solution of potassium cyanide. He would still be famous for dissecting the first alien, right?

Gripping the gun tightly, he ran towards the time chamber.

* * *

Bulma sobbed emptily as she leaned against the wall; she was so close! So, so close… now everything was going wrong. What was she supposed to do now?

She felt a warm hand on her shoulder and looked up to find Vegeta gazing calmly down at her.

"I'm sorry Vegeta." She choked and wrapped her arms around him. "I really messed up."

Vegeta rolled his eyes as he took the female in his arms. Wasn't she the queen of understatements? But it wasn't over yet; there was no call to give up. Besides, he knew that not everyone could do things perfectly all the time like him. He really wished she would stop crying though.

"This is why you should have just told me everything." He said as he held her carefully.

Hundreds of images flew through Bulma's head. Her friends, her family, her work, she even thought she saw her cat and her half-dead houseplant go whizzing through, her whole entire life and everyone in it.

And then there was Vegeta. This dark-eyed man had been the center of her life for nearly a year now. He was arrogant, he was rude, he was stubborn, and he was downright scary at times. He was also protective and exciting, and holding her ever so gently, like a small fragile child, at that very moment. He challenged, riled, baffled, and intrigued her all at once. He could spark her temper or ignite her passion in an instant.

So, was he worth it? Was he worth giving up everything in her life for? Bulma felt Vegeta's tail tighten around her waist and a warm feeling of peace washed over her.

Yes, he most definitely was.

Her hand silently slipped into her pocket and closed around a smooth cool object. The same black object that she had taken from her dresser drawer that morning. He was worth her life now because if he left, she wouldn't have a life anymore.

"I love you, Vegeta." She whispered as she pulled the object from her pocket. Yamcha had been right after all. He had been right about everything he had told her. She just wished she could have the chance to thank him, but that would never happen now. At that very moment, the doors to the room flew open and Ramassen came rushing in.

"Step back!" he yelled at Bulma. Vegeta gripped Bulma protectively and let out a dangerous growl.

"Hey Ramassen!" Bulma laughed as tears streamed down her face. "If you were half as clever as you think you are, you'd realize that Bulma Briefs always has a back up plan!" She held up a small black remote with a single red button on it triumphantly. She had taken it from her room that morning but never dreamed she'd actually use it. The man's face paled as he realized what the controller was for.

"You know something Yamcha, you were right all along!" Bulma yelled as she pushed the red button and clung to Vegeta for all she was worth. In the same instant, Ramassen, his features contorted in fury, fired his gun just as a beam of light shot from Vegeta's palm.

* * *

In the control room, Malone was helping Yamcha to his feet when Yamcha heard Bulma's shout, then the whole building shook and all of the lab's alarms started sounding. Shoving the stuttering Malone aside, Yamcha stumbled to the monitor in a panic. What had happened? Where was Bulma? His eyes widened as he took in the empty screen.

There was no one in the chamber.

Malone leaned over next to him and looked at the empty room fearfully.

"What happened?" he croaked.

Yamcha swallowed and gripped the counter to support himself. "Sh-she turned it off! She turned the barrier off." He rasped in disbelief. They were gone, he realized numbly, Bulma, Vegeta, even Ramassen! They were all gone, disappeared somewhere into the Saiyan's ancient past. But how had she-

Yamcha clenched his jaw tightly as it hit him. Why that sneaky little blue devil! She had built a remote control power switch for the barrier. Most likely, she had originally intended to have it just incase of emergencies, but now she had decided to use it to send herself and Vegeta back six thousand years into the past. He wiped the sweat from his brow; she must be insane! This was not what he meant when he told her to think about what was best for Vegeta! Didn't she know that there was no way for her to come back?

"Warning! System power drain beyond unit's limits! Self-destruct sequence activated! Warning! Count down in 20…19…18…" a computer generated voice droned through the building.

"Aw, hell!" Yamcha shouted as he grabbed the hysteric Malone and raced for the exit. What did he ever do to deserve this?

* * *

It took weeks to clear away all the rubble from the explosion. Yamcha and Malone had made it safely out of the building, but there was no saving the time chamber. They had yet to find even one complete part. Everything had been lost. And since Bulma had been the only one who knew how to build the time chamber, the committee had completely canceled the project.

As Yamcha walked silently through the debris he couldn't help but wonder how things had gotten so far off track. Where exactly had it all started to go awry? He wasn't sure, he doubted anyone really knew. He reached down and picked up a small broken figure that had once been in his office. Oh well, maybe it was all for the best, he thought.

With that, he turned and walked back to his car. There was nothing here but rubble anymore, certainly nothing worth coming back to. Maybe, he would pick up a section of the want adds on the way home. He wanted a break from science, a nice long break.

"Wherever you are Bulma," Yamcha sighed as looked up at the pale blue sky, "I hope you're happy, babe."

* * *

VBR: I am soooo tired now... I'll have the last chapter up shortly. it just wraps up all the loose ends and makes it all nice and tidy.

Tell me how I did folks! I really do want to know!

Thanks for reading=D


	27. Chapter 27

Now, to wrap up all the loose ends...

DBZ not mine!

* * *

Chapter 26-Epilouge

Two weeks later, Yamcha arrived home to find his girlfriend already had dinner cooking in the oven and a bottle of wine along with two glasses sitting on the table. His mouth started to water as he inhaled the savory aroma. He really needed to marry this girl, he thought.

Shouting that he was back, Yamcha walked over to the table and found his mail waiting for him. One letter in a large yellow envelope immediately grabbed his attention; he'd recognize that handwriting anywhere!

Opening the letter, he removed the bundle of papers it contained and sat down. He began rapidly reading through its contents as he poured himself a glass of the ruby liquid. As he had though, it was from Bulma. He figured she must have mailed it on the morning of _that_ day. The papers contained all of her notes and blueprints on the time chamber as well as her research papers. Yamcha frowned as he flipped through them until he came to a short handwritten letter with his name on it. It read simply:

_Dear Yamcha,_

_I'm in a hurry right now, but I guess there really isn't much left to say since you heard most all of it the other night already. When you finally get this, I don't know if things will have gone as I had planned or not, but most likely Vegeta and I are long gone by now. I hope you're not too angry with me for being so selfish. You always did say I was spoiled. But for what it's worth, I truly am sorry… for everything. I know my rash actions destroyed not only my work but yours as well. That wasn't fair of me. Therefore, I've sent all of my records on the time chamber to you as a peace offering of sorts. I've included everything you will need to rebuild and continue the project. The time chamber's future is in your hands now; please do what you think is best. As I may never be able to see you again, I also wanted to thank you for all that you've done for me, and for your friendship. From the bottom of my heart I wish you all the best._

_Love,_

_Bulma _

_P.s. I'm leaving you my cat and my potted cactus (Since you bought them for me, serves you right) I left them with my neighbor and told her you'd come get them. Okay? Bye then! _

_P.p.s. You'll need to pay her fifty bucks for watching them. _

Yamcha shook his head, that girl. She should have known he could never stay mad at her. In fact, he figured he understood why she had done what she did better than anyone. Still, getting an apology certainly didn't hurt any. However, he was a little miffed about the fifty dollars.

Yamcha frowned thoughtfully as he picked up the other papers. With all of this, he could rebuild the time chamber in no time. The committee would be thrilled, and he would probably be named as head of the whole project. Plus, Ramassen had disappeared so he wouldn't have to put up with that guy anymore. He and Malone could handle everything all right. Not to mention the fact that now he wouldn't have to look for a new job anymore.

He closed his eyes; he could just see the committee members' faces when he told them he could rebuild the time chamber. But still, there were some things that were just…

"Sorry hun, I was changing when you came in." his girlfriend popped her head around the corner and smiled.

"Oh, hi! Dinner sure smells fantastic." Yamcha smiled at her as he stood up. Smiling back at him, she stepped into the room wearing a short blue-colored dress she knew he liked. "But how about we eat it in the living room?"

"The living room?" she looked at him in confusion.

"Yeah, you know I love that dress on you but you look a little cold babe." He grinned as he walked over to the counter and opened the end drawer. She watched as he rummaged around and then pulled out a small sliver object. "So how about we have dinner in front of the fireplace? Sound romantic?"

The girl's eyes lit up in delight and she nodded enthusiastically. "Why don't you go light it and I'll get the plates made up?" she suggested happily.

Yamcha looked down at the papers in his hand. There some things that were just better off left alone. Time was one of them, he concluded.

"No problem, I've already got the kindling." He laughed as he kissed his girlfriend's cheek.

* * *

_Roughly 5998 years in the past…_

Bulma sighed as she listened to the sound of her child sleeping peacefully. She could hear his even breathing as he rested in a small bed next to her own. Reaching out, she lightly stroked his lilac colored locks.

"Quit touching him, woman." Her mate growled behind her. "You just spent an hour getting him to sleep, do you want to wake him again?"

Bulma pulled her hand back and turned to face her half-sleeping husband. "I was just checking, Vegeta." She smiled softly. Sometimes she couldn't help but reach out and touch her baby, just to make sure that he was real. Vegeta merely rolled his eyes and pulled her to him.

"He won't disappear little one." He said quietly as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"And neither will you, right?" she grinned as she snuggled against Vegeta's chest. Warmth flooded through her body as she sighed. No, her life hadn't turned out the way she had thought it would.

It was a hundred times better.

She had a beautiful baby boy and strong amazing friends who always looked out for her. But most importantly, she had her mate, Vegeta. As hard as she tried, she couldn't imagine how she could possibly be any happier.

Well, maybe if she had another baby, she mused. But there would be plenty of time for that later...

She looked up at Vegeta. "So what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Meeting Kakarott and Tarbel for a hunt." He mumbled.

Bulma made a face. "You always come back all dirty and bloody when you go with those two."

"Not this time, we're making Ramassen come along to carry it back." Vegeta informed her.

Bulma shook her head as she stroked his hair. "He's not a pack mule you know."

"Might as well be." Vegeta smirked devilishly and relaxed as she wove her fingers through his thick mane.

Vegeta frowned as he laid quietly next to Bulma. What was she to him? This odd little female lying in his arms. He knew there was a word that suited her exactly. A special beautiful word that perfectly described her and all that she was to him.

Was she his mate?

His lover?

His completeness?

His helper?

His weakness?

His strength?

Yes, she was all of those and more. But they were not the words he was looking for. Every time he touched her, Vegeta tried to name what it was he felt. He tried to express her completely, but somehow he never quite succeeded. His perfect word always eluded him. It didn't really matter though. He would find it one day, Vegeta assured himself as he pulled Bulma closer and kissed her neck teasingly.

He would find it, but he wouldn't mind if he spent a lifetime searching first.

* * *

YAYS! I IS DONE!!!!! AMAZING! This is the first fic I've ever completed! But, I do feel a little sad now…… =S

Well, how did I do? Happy with the ending? Mad at me? Never gonna read another fic by VBR again? (Please don't pic that last one….OO')

To all who reviewed and supported me, this story wouldn't have happened without your help. So I wish to sincerely thank all of you! I LOVES YOU GUYS!! =3

Now that UA is complete I will be working on my other fics, mostly Tempas Terror (I must finish it!) and The Replacement.

However, I have also just started a new humor fic entitled Busted! I am co-authoring it with XxKuroyoxX, a very funny awesome girl! The link for this new story, since it's under her account, is in my profile so please check it out. It would make me oh so happy!

Goodbye and thanks for reading!


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